


Present Hopes and Future Dreams

by Ulfserkr



Category: Fruits Basket, Fruits Basket (Anime 2001), Fruits Basket (Anime 2019), Fruits Basket - Takaya Natsuki (Manga)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Sex, Established Relationship, F/M, First Love, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Intimacy, Loss of Virginity, Love, Loving Sex, Potential Teen Pregnancy, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Soulmates, Sexy Times, Teen Angst, Teen Romance, True Love, Unprotected Sex, romantic sex, soul mates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:55:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 34,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25569355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ulfserkr/pseuds/Ulfserkr
Summary: (Spoilers! The unredacted spoilers may be found in the headnotes.)We've reached the end of the last school year in an alternate timeline, one in which Akito did not reveal that [manga spoilers]. Kyō's curse was never broken as [manga spoilers]. Hopelessness seems to have sunken into the Sohma residents at Shigure's house, culminating ultimately in the fact that Kyō [manga spoilers]. Shigure is facing down the prospect that [manga spoilers], and Yuki is worried that he, like Kyō, won't be able to escape the Sohma family and live his own life.As a result, both Shigure and Yuki have left the cat alone, on the last evening of his freedom. Tohru, aware that it's Kyō's last night of freedom, is dismayed at having to work that evening and comes home later that night to find an empty house. Her love for Kyō has only grown stronger ever since he confessed his feelings for her after [manga spoiler]. In spite of everything, [manga spoiler].On this dark night, after a brutal exchange with his father earlier in the day that reaffirms his fate as a prisoner of his own family, Kyō takes refuge in the one person who gives him life and hope and who keeps his dreams alive.
Relationships: Honda Tohru/Sohma Kyou, Kuragi Machi/Sohma Yuki, Sohma Akito/Sohma Shigure, Sohma Kureno/Uotani Arisa
Comments: 7
Kudos: 47





	1. I Know You . . . .

**Author's Note:**

> We've reached the end of the last school year in an alternate timeline, one in which Akito did not reveal that she was, in fact, a woman. Kyō's curse was never broken as Akito the god never willingly relinquished her bonds to the other members of the zodiac. Hopelessness seems to have sunken into the Sohma residents at Shigure's house, culminating ultimately in the fact that Kyō will be confined to the cat's house for the rest of his life, never again to have his freedom. Shigure is facing down the prospect that Akito will never be free and will have to live the rest of her life as a man, never admitting her love for Shigure, and Yuki is worried that he, like Kyō, won't be able to escape the Sohma family and live his own life.
> 
> As a result, both Shigure and Yuki have left the cat alone, on the last evening of his freedom. Tohru, aware that it's Kyō's last night of freedom, is dismayed at having to work that evening and comes home later that night to find an empty house. Her love for Kyō has only grown stronger ever since he confessed his feelings for her after her fall from the cliff and the subsequent healing of her injuries. In spite of everything, Akito has not relinquished her bonds and reaffirmed the necessity of the cat room and Kyō's inevitable fate to reside there forever.
> 
> On this dark night, after a brutal exchange with his father earlier in the day that reaffirms his fate as a prisoner of his own family, Kyō takes refuge in the one person who gives him life and hope and who keeps his dreams alive.

Shigure’s normally bright and lively house was dark and void. But for the fact that his home was neatly kept from the outside—the grass mowed and the weeds held at bay, and the structure of the house itself seeming strong—a passer-by might’ve mistaken it for being forlorn. Upstairs in his room, Kyō sat alone in the dark, staring off into nothingness. It was seven o’clock in the evening, the night before graduation, and nothing had fundamentally changed for him. He tried to keep his thoughts far from her—from Tohru—as he meditated on his future. The dark house, the dark room, his dark life all seemed reflective of what awaited him tomorrow evening when he got home—where _she_ was. Akito would send his people to collect him . . . and he would be unable to refuse the call of the god. He only wished he had it in himself to defy them, remembering how he had angrily shouted at Momiji that one night in the hallway of the vacationhome—insisting that they all should’ve had the guts to stand up to Akito and not leave Tohru all alone that day.

 _How hypocritical,_ he thought, _when I’m just as gutless when it comes down to it._

He closed his eyes, remembering the cat’s room. His future jail.

 _Tohru!_ he thought, running a rough hand through his orange hair. She had been the only source of light in his life. She and her mother.

He had seen his father on a rare occasion earlier that week; and in spite of the fact that his father had never really dealt with him in his life, Kyō still felt the pull of wanting somekind of acknowledgement from him. It was there in some small piece of his soul—that longing for family. All he’d wanted to do was tell his father that he was graduating. It was a courtesy in the unlikely event that his father would want to attend.

Sadly, the encounter had gone about as well as he expected: His father could hardly stand to look at him. Kyō shook his head and closed his eyes, remembering how his father had made him feel like he was still that scared little boy who’d just lost his mother—remembering how god and everybody had blamed him for her death. His fault, of course. His fault that she’d died. His fault that he was born.

***

“Better you had been carried from the cradle straight to the grave!” his father shouted. “How dare you look me in the eye like a man, you useless waste of skin. You filthy abortion; what audacity you have to go on living!”

Kyō said nothing.

His father only looked on disdainfully. “You disgusting monster. You were a shame to me from the moment you were born, but I thought that I could love you. I did. Now I only blame myself for my own weakness: I should’ve killed you when I had the chance. I should’ve killed you to spare your mother.”

“She wouldn’t’ve let you, you know?” Kyō’d replied flatly as he looked away. “Even if she never loved the real me, she wouldn’t’ve let you.” He didn’t have to listen to this. He shouldn’t have to! But then again . . . there was some part of him that kept him rooted to the ground.

“But she’d be alive,” his father insisted. “And I’d trade that for her hatred any day. And you know deep down that she’d’ve been relieved to get rid of you and to get rid of this family. She would’ve been safe. Instead, all we have is you. A disappointment on every level. You’ve failed. That’s all you are is a failure. You’re a failed human being—not even a person—dressed up in a costume and graduating. Like it’ll make you anything other than what you are: An aimless freak with no future. Why prolong the hoax for so long? You know there’s no hope for you. You had years to defeat Yuki, and you couldn’t even do that because there’s something innately lacking in you. No matter how hard you try, you will always come up short. You’re a failure—just born that way.”

“If I am it’s because everybody’s been making me live down to their expectations,” Kyō replied emotionlessly though deep down his heart was hurting as he averted his gaze.

“No. It’s because deep down, there is something wrong with you. In there, deep down, at your core, there is something broken—something in you that will _always_ bring out the bad. All you’ll ever be able to do is destroy the people around you—destroy the people who love you.”

His father smirked, then. Darkly. It sent a wave of anger and resentment down his spine and Kyō had to keep himself from shuddering in disgust.

“I hear there’s a girl who loves you . . . Honda Tohru-san, isn’t that right?” his father started.

Kyō froze, ice filling his veins.

“It would make sense that there’s something perverted about her, too.”

“You keep her name out of your mouth!” Kyō growled in a low voice.

“There would have to be,” his father went on, “for her to be depraved enough to fuck an animal like you.”

“She isn’t-!”

“What? A whore? That’s exactly what she is. What do you call an unmarried woman who has sex for money?”

“You-!”

“You know it’s true, Kyō. The cat before you had to pay for it, too. Ask Kazuma: He’ll tell you how his grandfather had to convince his maid to have his child. And if she doesn’t make you pay for it, it just makes her a slut. You know deep down that’s what she’ll be if you decide to make her yours. No one will ever look at her.”

“The outside world wouldn’t see her that way . . .” Kyō murmured. Not that he was even _planning_ to be with Tohru in that way. His princess . . . was as pure as the driven snow.

“But _we_ would see her that way. _Akito_ would see her that way—” his father returned, “and deep down, you know that that’s the only thing that matters.”

Kyō looked down at the ground and took a sharp breath. He clenched his fists impotently. His expression was blank. “You . . . don’t even know who I am . . .” he murmured flatly.

His father looked on, just as apathetically. “I know you. You destroy all of those around you. And you know that with time, you’ll destroy Honda-san, too. It’s possible if she loves you enough that your absence will undo her. Who knows if she’ll go on living?”

Kyō felt himself choking, drowning as his eyes widened, his father’s words hitting him far harder than he ever thought they could.

“If she kills herself,” his father smirked “. . . will that be your fault, too?”

Kyō felt his breathing stop as images of a weeping Tohru filled his mind’s eye. Tohru crying for him. _Dying_ for him! Unable to move on without him!

“You see, Kyō, your love is destructive. It hurts everyone it’s ever touched.” His father chuckled slightly and shook his head. “I know you, Kyō . . . you’re the Devil.”

***

Kyō shut his eyes against the pain of those words. It would bring him to tears if he still had tears to shed for that lost relationship with his father. Besides, he had his own father—a real father. _Shishō!_

Kazuma-sensei had been the only real point of light in his life for a long while. Even then, however, it hadn’t been enough. He was filled with the hate and resentment that abuse brings to those who are vulnerable. With his bet with Akito—that if he were to defeat Yuki he’d be allowed to go free and not be imprisoned in the cat room—Kyō had a channel for his anger. It would be Yuki’s fault if he failed and were locked up. He’d be able to blame all his faults and deficiencies on Yuki. Everything that everybody had said to him, from his father to his extended family—all that anger and perceived defect he would be able to heap on Yuki’s head.

Deep down, he knew it was all a lie, though: Akito may be cursed to be the god figure in their family, but he didn’t really have any divine power. The more Kyō thought about it in his idle moments, the more ridiculous and futile the bet seemed. What did he expect Akito to do when he said he would add the cat to the zodiac? Akito didn’t have the power to create a new constellation. He didn’t have the power to create a thirteen-month calendar. But Kyō was defiant in the face of that. He’d willed himself to believe that he could succeed because he was tired of always being the odd-man-out; tired of always being second. Of not only being second but being hated and spurned his whole life. He focused his anger into demanding a place for himself in the world. He had exploded his anger in the hopes that the hatred of his own life would give him the strength to carve out a place for himself in the world. _In the universe!_ he thought. That’s what he wanted. His constellation wasn’t written in the stars as the others had been. He existed outside of normal time. There was nothing—no place for him—in the universe. He was a monster. Whether he had a true monstrous form or not, he was still an _other._

The others had all gone away, the house was empty. Shigure and Yuki had left because they understandably couldn’t stand to be around him at this time. Not because they hated him but because . . . maybe they saw him as their whipping boy. As sad and despondent as their lives had been, Kyō’s had always been destined for far worse. The abuse Yuki had suffered was made perhaps just a tad more bearable by the reinforced knowledge of his superiority to Kyō. It may not have amounted to much, but it was something. And Shigure . . . Shigure just looked as though something in his own life had profoundly failed him. Kyō knew that look and knew that it wasn’t for him. Something had gone wrong in Shigure’s plans for himself, though Kyō didn’t know what part he himself had to play in that, though he knew it was something.

As for Tohru . . . she was working. He remembered her earlier that day trying to beg off going to work but stopped arguing with her boss over the phone the instant she’d seen him. He had no clue why she was trying to call off. She wasn’t sick, was she? She’d been fine later that same day at school. And why had she stopped arguing the instant he came into view? He shook his head: He knew she would come back, probably surprised to find the house dark and nobody home.

 _I’ll just stay up here,_ he thought. _I’ll stay away and leave her alone. It’d be selfish of me to want to see her the night before I left. . . . Then again, wouldn’t it be worse for her to be completely alone tonight?_ He knew she loved him. _Wouldn’t it be worse for her to be forcibly apart from me now?_

He shook his head. Both actions were selfish. He didn’t want to see her because it would only hurt his heart more to have to part from her, yet he did want to see her because he wanted to drink in the sight of her for as long as he could before he left. What would be best for her, though? He couldn’t pretend that he didn’t have a vested interest in either action.

He didn’t know for how long he’d been sitting, but it had gotten dark, the clarity of the moonlight shining through his window indirectly as he sat.

_Tohru . . . I promise you, I won’t be selfish anymore. I’ll give up all my false dreams of having you. I’ll let you go. You shouldn’t have to be with me, and you shouldn’t have to put up with them._

His heart ached as he thought of her. It hardly registered with him when downstairs, the doors of the house opened and closed. At the sound of her voice, though, he felt his heart hammer and he looked up with a jolt at the door of his room as she called up from the floor below.

“I’m home,” she called. “Yuki-kun! Kyō! Are you home? Shigure-san!”

He heard her padding around downstairs as she went through the lower level. It only took a couple of seconds for Kyō to decide what to do as he stood up. He walked over to the door of his room and stood there for a moment, his hand on the knob, before he pulled it open and walked over to the landing. He saw her then, standing at the foot of the stairs, looking up at him.

“Ah! There, you are!” she smiled cheerfully. “I thought you were all gone!”

“No,” he murmured, giving his head a slight shake. “I’m here, but the other’s left,” he said as she slowly came down the stairs, stopping about midway.

He tried to keep the sadness from his voice, but couldn’t help but notice the slight tinge of sadness in her own face as she looked up at him.

“That’s . . . why would they leave?” she asked softly. “Why wouldn’t they be thinking of you, tonight of all nights?”

“Excuse me?” asked Kyō.

She shook her head. “It’s nothing! Nothing at all.” She let out a huff he could tell was in part disappointment. “I should get dinner started.”

“Don’t bother,” he said. He came down the stairs the rest of the way and stopped one step up from where she was. “They’re not coming back tonight. Gure-san’s probably With Akito. And Yuki said he’d be spending some time with his brother.”

Tohru looked down. “They should all have been here with you.”

Something finally connected in Kyō’s mind. _She knows! She knows I’m leaving tomorrow! That they’re locking me up._

Instead, he smiled. “I can understand why they’d wanna leave for a little bit. They’ve got things to do, it’s no big deal if they miss one night.”

She looked up at him, a hint of deep sadness and a soft frustration in her eyes as she looked at him. It was rare to see her any kind of frustrated. The only time he’d seen it was once before when he tried to drive her away after she chased after him in his true form. He saw it again, now.

“For how long have you known?” he asked.

Her expression changed instantly to one of surprise.

She opened her mouth to speak, but halted before finally saying, “Since the vacation house. Akito told me when he scratched my face.”

In an instant, his hands were on her shoulders as the instinctive need to hold her overcame him.

“Kyō . . .” she started, tears welling in her eyes, “I . . . you shouldn’t be alone tonight.”

She leant forward, her head tilting against his chest. Tears began to fall, wetting his shirt, and he patted her shoulders slightly.

“Tohru, you shouldn’t cry for me,” he said solemnly, his head ringing with his father’s words. They were like a curse that drove away happiness. And yet . . . here was Tohru, standing just as strong in his mind and driving away his father’s hatred.

“How can you say that?” she murmured quietly. “Shouldn’t everyone have at least one person in their lives who should cry for them?”

He looked stunned. He didn’t feel worthy of her tears.

“Tohru, this isn’t sad,” he said, trying to convince himself as much as her. “My life . . . has been heaven ever since meeting you. Now it’s just gonna go back to the way it was before. It’s more of the same. I can handle it.”

“You shouldn’t have to, though. Kyō . . . you showed such concern for me that night on New Year’s. Both you and Yuki . . . you knew better. You knew that I didn’t want to be alone. You . . . should have the same courtesy,” she said as her hands curled into the sleeves of his shirt.

His heart thundered when her hand came up and caressed the side of his face as she looked up at him.

“You shouldn’t be alone,” she whispered.

The thundering in his heart only increased as he felt the moment become charged with something.

Her eyes reflected his own and he felt drawn to them as he leant down.

 _I shouldn’t!_ his mind shouted. _You don’t deserve her! You’ll ruin her!_

He ignored his mind as his heart replied, _I . . . can’t I be selfish, just this once?_

The doubt eased off as Tohru tilted her head to meet his lips. Her chest tightened when their lips met.

His their holds became tighter as the light kiss seemed to grow and linger. Neither one of them wanted it to end. He felt himself pour all of his future loneliness into the kiss, and he felt her pour all of her love and desire for him into the expression.

Kyō flushed as heat washed over them both as they nuzzled each other.

There was something deeper growing in his chest and spreading through his abdomen. A kind of hunger and want as his grip on her shoulders tightened.

The kiss broke off, and as they looked at each other, the recognized the sense that they had each crossed a line.

There was a moment of silence as they looked at each other, searching for something. Finally, it was Tohru who broke the silence.

“Kyō,” she whispered, “you are good enough.”

“Tohru-” he started, unable to finish the thought.

“You _are_ allowed to be selfish, just this once,” she said as she took his hand, running her fingers over the rosary beads on his wrist. The move was so intimate, he couldn’t help feeling his stomach turn as she did so.

He felt the grip of his other hand instinctively tighten on her shoulder.

“I don’t think you know what you’re asking,” he said as he looked down at her. His voice was becoming dark as he spoke. Deep down, even he didn’t know what he was asking.

“Kyō . . . you’re listening to people who tell you that . . . that your love isn’t good enough. To people told you that you were born broken. You weren’t. You aren’t—even now. The person in front of me . . . is beautiful.”

He couldn’t breathe. Her words washed over him like cool, fresh water.

“There’s nobody else in the whole world like you, Kyō,” she whispered, “and I love you. Your love . . . is good enough,” she said as she ran a hand through his hair.

How did she have this power over him? How did she have the power to break his father’s spell? How did she have the ability to see him?

He felt desire and want well up within him as he looked down at her.

The constant push and pull of his father’s words continued to pummel him even as he focused on Tohru—the only bright thing in the world.

The realization came to him gradually as he looked down at her: He wanted to be close to her. Intimate with her. And he realised at that moment just what his body wanted. His soul wanted her love, and each caress of his face had him feeling that; it was that feeling of physical desire for her that had him stopping himself. He suddenly knew where this was going. He knew that he would keep going if she let him . . . and looking into her innocent, loving eyes, he knew she would let him.

“Tohru . . . I think I should go upstairs,” he whispered. He couldn’t keep himself from trembling as he spoke. He felt a raw longing for her as he saw the open vulnerability in her eyes.

He took a slight step up toward his room. He smiled, trying to hide the confluence of his love and want for her.

She nodded and took a step back, herself. “I’ll get dinner started,” she smiled as he let go of her shoulder and as she let go of his wrist.

“Just make enough for yourself,” he said with a tender look.

“You should eat, too,” she chided.

He said nothing as he held back his response. He only smiled and walked slowly up the stairs without a word. He didn’t bother turning on the hall light or the light to his room as he closed the door behind him before flopping down on his mattress, his hands behind his head.

He loved her. Deeply. She was the only thing in this world who had given him a hope beyond hope. He could take advantage of that offer, he thought. He could let himself drown in her love for him and it still wouldn’t be enough. It would all lead to his leaving tomorrow, though. In the end, they would both be alone. All his hopes had revolved around freeing himself from his destiny in the cat room. He had realised the hope of having fatherly love and affection in his life when Shishō had taken him on as his ward. He never knew that he could be loved like that.

 _And then Tohru!_ His heart swelled in his chest at the thought of her. _The only woman I could ever dream of having in my life. Of holding her in my arms._ In his imagination, he could see himself making love to her. Holding her in his arms and making her sigh for only him. He imagined what it would be like to make her his, imagining the joy of intimacy with her. It was indescribable. He only knew that he wanted her to be his wife. He wanted to be her husband! He wanted to provide for her. He wanted to be a team with her! He could see her with children, doting on them, and listening to them. Nurturing them as much as she nurtured everyone around her. He could see both of them dealing with their children’s illnesses. With ice cream cones and birthday parties, festivals and school functions. He dreamt of a domestic life for himself with a large family around him—none of them cursed. He dreamt of having friends, and of what it would be like to take over Shishō’s dojo. He imagined grandchildren.

He shook his head, almost disgusted with his thoughts. Miracles were things of fancy and lovers were not sent by the gods. What right did he have to want that with her?

 _It wasn’t a right_ , he chided. _It would be a gift._

Still, he couldn’t help the nagging feeling that he would end up only dragging her down. Was it his destiny to always be suspicious of happiness? He doubted the love of so many people around him—what if hers was just another-No!

He shook his head as the look in her eyes when they’d kissed told him everything he needed to know. She was truly in love with him.

He felt his chest tighten as that thought swirled in his heart more and more. He should be downstairs with her right now! But he didn’t move. He didn’t dare.

 _She . . . loves me . . . !_ his heart retorted.

It wasn’t that she had never said the words before or that he didn’t know her feelings . . . it was that the connection at that moment felt stronger for him than it ever had. Would she let him hold her, in so far as he could? She had let him kiss her, but would she tolerate more? Would she let him . . . ? And would he let her . . . ? And would they let each other . . . ?

His breathing became rougher as he tried to calm his thoughts.

He didn’t hear much sound coming from downstairs, just some indistinct shuffling sounds. He expected at any moment to hear the sounds of her cooking, but ten minutes went by. Then twenty. Still nothing.

At last, he heard the sounds of Tohru as she made her way up the stairs.

What on Earth had she been doing down there?

He heard her footsteps stop just outside his door.

He didn’t breathe. He didn’t blink.

He heard her softly knock on his door.

“Kyō . . .” she called.

There was something in her voice, something trembling, sad and halting, that had him launching himself from his bed instantly and flinging open the door.

There she stood, her eyes red from having been crying.

 _Had she been downstairs all this time?!_ He resisted the urged to hold her as he beat himself mentally. He should’ve known when five minutes of silence went by without a sound from her downstairs that something was up! Why did he have to be so self-involved! He heard his father’s voice, then, chiding him in that painful way as he looked down at Tohru’s tears, her shining, beautiful eyes.

 _“I know you,”_ his father’s voice resounded. _“You destroy all of those around you. And you know that with time, you’ll destroy Honda-san, too._

Her look was hurting him as his father’s words rang true in his heart. That fatal thought was put to an end in an instant when she looked up at him through her tears. Such a look of love and sweet sadness he had never seen in the face of another person. Not for him. It was a look meant only for him, and he felt his breath catch in his lungs.

“Tohru . . .” he whispered, stunned. He was unable to say what he’d been thinking—that she shouldn’t be crying for him at all—but he couldn’t. Her tears were a gift. She gave them for him freely. As she had said . . . everyone should have at least one person in their lives who should cry for them.

He caught her by the shoulders as she fell against him as sobs wracked her body. She clung to his sleeves as she whispered his name again and again.

“Kyō . . . you should’ve expected better for yourself. For your life.”

“I did,” he murmured back. “That’s what I think got me into trouble—got us into trouble.”

She looked up at him through her watery gaze. “You had every right to demand better for your life.”

“Tohru-!” he whispered harshly as his grip tightened slightly, “Don’t! Don’t say such things when things are looking the way they are! How can you say that I had the right to look for better in my own life when things are as hopeless as they are! This has all been an illusion. This has all been a dream: a false promise of freedom.”

“Then cherish the dream!” she said back, her voice halting and meek even as it challenged him. “If you’re only ever free in your dreams, then cherish them!”

“I . . . I can’t, I . . . .” His father’s words rang in his head again. “It was fated from the beginning and there was no way to change it,” he murmured as pain touched his heart. “I should’ve given up long ago, before I met you. I’d’ve been able to spare us . . . .”

He suddenly felt her soft hand on his cheek. “Then I’ll cherish your dreams for the both of us. No one should be spared from love. You have as much right to be loved as the next person. You talk about your life here with me, your life with Shigure and Yuki and the other zodiac members, as if it were a dream. Kyō,” she said as she took his hand and placed it on her heart, “my love for you is _not_ a dream. My love for you is real. Can you feel my heart?”

He leant his forehead against hers and was silent again for a moment before he spoke. “How is it possible that you fell for me and not for Yuki? How is it possible that despite everything, you’re willing to risk your love on me?”

She was quiet for a moment. “When I lost my mother, I swore to myself that no one would ever take her place in my heart—of course, no one would ever be able to do that. More than that, though . . . I swore that nobody else’s love would ever take priority. But then I fell in love with you, and you became that priority for me. And I struggled with myself before being able to accept that my feelings for you were taking precedence over my mother.”

Kyō took a breath that was almost a sob. “And you’re about to lose me, too. Forever,” he said, almost choking on the words. He wanted to throw them in the garbage. He wanted to take Tohru’s hand and run away with her at that instant, far, far away in the mountains, beyond the forest, above the trees. He wanted her to himself. “How can you say that it was worth it? How can it have been worth it if we have to give it up?”

“I’m not giving up yet!” she said softly.

“I’m leaving tomorrow.”

“If it takes a year or a hundred, I’ll find a way to break the curse. I will set you free!”

“You’re living with a hopeless illusion, too,” he said quietly.

“Then it’s my illusion!” she cried, her tears falling freely. “We’ll always be free right here, right now if not in the future. No one can erase this time we’ve had together. No one can erase this moment,” she sobbed.

He looked down at her sadly as he cupped her cheek. “Tohru . . . I would’ve made you my wife,” he whispered. “If I had my way . . . we’d be a family, you and I.”

She reached up and caressed his face with both hands, her fingers stringing his hair. “As far as I’m concerned, we are. We can be.” She watched with a kind of delight when his eyes closed and he nuzzled into the caress.

He felt the niggle of desire well within him. He didn’t dare to hope nor did he dare to suggest that they should act on his feelings.

“Tohru . . . you don’t know what you’re saying.”

“I know what I’m saying,” as she reached up and planted a tender kiss on his lips. “I know that I want you.”

Kyō felt his breathing slow as his hands slid down her torso and found themselves at the hem of her blouse.

What was he doing?

He stopped himself as he looked down at her.

“I can’t shame you like that,” he murmured as he rested his forehead against hers. “We aren’t married.”

She shook her head. “I don’t care,” she whispered back. “I’d live with it.”

“You’re not that kind of girl. I know what people’ll say about you. I couldn’t bear it if your life were made harder because of me.”

“Don’t you think you’re worth anything, Kyō?” she asked.

He couldn’t answer. He was too shamed to say either way. He couldn’t say he was worthless without devaluing her love and affection for him. He couldn’t say he _did_ deserve her love without kindling that hope within him, again, that there might someday be somekind of future out there for him outside of that which had been prescribed for him—somekind of future with _her_.

“Can’t we just pretend—can’t _you_ pretend—just for tonight that you do have a future, even if you don’t believe it?”

He felt his body react as desire pooled itself in his abdomen. He felt heat and sexual wanting jolt through him as she offered him an escape from reality—an escape he never dreamt he’d _ever_ have been offered.

He didn’t want to feel this! He wanted his love for her to be pure! But looking down at her, he realised she was filled with the same desire. Was it . . . wrong for her—his innocent Tohru—to want that with him? He felt so dirty, so . . . incomplete standing next to her.

“How the hell can you love me?” he whispered.

She leant up and kissed his lips. He took a step back. Then another. And she followed him.

“You want me to pretend?” Kyō said, his voice breaking as her hand reached for his.

“If you can’t hope, then yes.”

“It hurts too much to hope,” he whispered as she closed the distance between them.

He looked away, closing his eyes as his thoughts took over. Was he really going to do this? Was he really going to allow this? Didn’t he have a duty to protect her from himself?

His eyes opened when he heard the door to his room gently close.

Kyō gently removed himself from her, looking from her face and the door she’d just closed with the back of her foot.

For a moment, he didn’t know what he was going to do, but it seemed his body had made some kind of decision as he walked around her, feeling heat and lust flood him as he made his way over to the door.

What was he going to do?

He reached for the doorknob, knowing that his next action would as good as seal his intentions.

He took a shuddering breath and locked the door.

The click seemed to almost resonate in both their ears. For a moment, he only looked at the locked door as he drew his hand away. He took a shaky breath as he felt his pants become tighter in anticipation. He tried to ignore the sensation as he looked down at the ground and then over to her. She was smiling shyly, a blush across her cheeks.

He moved slowly till she was within arm’s length. He didn’t know where to start as his hands rested once again on her shoulders.

“You said ‘It hurts too much to hope,’ Kyō, but it’s real,” she insisted, her voice soft and trembling as she took his beaded hand and kissed the rosary around his wrist.

Kyō felt his heart thundering at the intimate action. His heart stopped, however, when she removed his beads.

“Tohru! What’re you-?!” but he stopped when he realised that nothing was happening. He was stunned into silence. The memory flashed in his mind of when she had first chased after him in his true form. She’d run after him and held his hand as she begged him to return. And even without the rosary, he had taken human shape again. When he was with her . . . did he no longer need the beads?

She reached up and caressed his cheek with her hand as he stared down at her, stunned. He let out a gasp that was almost a sob as he cupped her face and pulled her into a deep kiss which she returned as their tears mingled with each other.

 _Tohru!_ his mind shouted, _What are you?_

 _The woman who loves you and wants to be with you,_ he heard a voice speak back. Was it her?

As they kissed he felt her hands reach into his hair as she gently pulled him down, deeper into the kiss. He let her hands trail down the front of his chest and his abs till they found themselves at the hem of his black t-shirt.

Dark thoughts began filling his mind but he beat them back with his promise to Tohru that he would pretend for tonight.

He broke the kiss and stepped back before reaching down and pulling off his t-shirt for himself before stalking back over to her.

“Are you sure?” he asked as he carefully reached for the buttons of her shirt. He stilled his hands as he waited a beat for her answer.

A blush crossed her face and she nodded humbly. “I’m sure . . . because it’s you,” she whispered.

How the hell did she always do that? How the hell was she able to always make him feel singled out and special, in a good way? How was she able to cut through the darkness of his life with a machete and stand there above it all? She had made herself the most important thing in his life. More important than his father, than Akito, than his rivalry with Yuki. She had eased the pain of his existence.

He carefully started undoing the buttons on her blouse and heard the gentle clatter as she let his rosary fall to the floor. He undid the last button and for a moment did nothing as he took a deep breath before reaching his hands inside and parting the closure, reaching up and letting it slide over her shoulder before it fell, crumpling to the ground.

Looking back to her face, he felt himself grow hotter—his pants grow tighter—when he saw the way she was looking at his body. She wanted him, and it made him feel strong. Powerful, even.

Her blush deepened as she, careful not to hug him, closed the distance between them, pressing her bare skin against his flesh as they drew each other into another kiss. She slid her hands into his hair, moaning slightly as Kyō ran his hands down her torso and grazed her thigh.

“K-Kyō,” she moaned in a whisper as he did so. She felt heat flood through her body as the kiss deepened and felt desire swell between her thighs as he held her.

She broke the kiss for a moment and stepped back to undo her brassiere.

Kyō looked on for a moment before stammering, “W-Wait! Wait!” A mad blush tinting his face as he held up his hands.

“Wha-? D-don’t you want me to?” she asked carefully.

He nodded slowly and closed his eyes as he faced the ground. His blush remained as he closed the distance between them, his footsteps thudding on the ground, and placed his hands on her shoulders.

“I do . . . I just don’t wanna rush this,” he said quietly.

The hook was already undone.

“I just . . . want things to be right with you,” he murmured as he hooked his thumbs under the shoulder straps and began moving them down. “I never had the hope of doing this with any woman, let alone you,” he added as the fabric continued its descent, “and I want to savour you. You’re a treasure, and I want to show you that,” he murmured as at last, the straps were off her shoulders. He held his breath when he saw her breasts, her naked chest, letting the bra fall at their feet before pulling her close again, and letting her bare chest rest against his as they pulled each other into another kiss.

Through the kiss, they held each other carefully, running their hands along each other’s bodies, carefully keeping their hands in front of each other to prevent anything that might accidentally constitute a hug. Eventually, they pulled away from each other. Kyō watched as Tohru carefully stepped out of her slippers and removed her stockings before watching breathlessly as she reached her hands behind her to remove her skirt.

Kyō’s blush deepened and he stepped closer and took hold of her skirt as it started to fall, letting it slide through his fingers. He stared down at her, his eyes slowly roaming her body before landing at the meeting of her thighs. He placed his hands on her shoulders again and watched her carefully as she smiled up at him. She shifted her gaze, however, and let her hands close the distance between them as she reached for his belt and the button of his pants, undoing them as he looked on, unable to move, feeling as though he were living someone else’s life.

Kyō let her unzip him and let his pants slide to the ground as he let his own hands move to her waist and hooked his thumbs into her underwear. He looked into her eyes for permission and breathed out a sigh of longing when she nodded, “yes.” He slowly drew them down to the floor, following them down as he knelt before her. He looked up at her now, his princess, fully naked and pale in the light that shone through his window.

She turned and stepped back until she felt his bed behind her and sat down on it. Kyō shuffled over as well, still kneeling as he stepped out of his pants. When he looked up at her, he could see her returning his ardent look, gazing with shy interest at the tent in his boxers which he carefully removed, sliding them down and freeing his erection. His breath hitched slightly at the thought that he was the first naked man she had ever seen like this. His heart was thundering in his chest even as he looked up at Tohru. She smiled down at him, love shining in her eyes as she reached down and caressed his hair. He cocked a smile in return as he stood up and out of his boxers and moved closer to her.

He knelt back down, his face closer between her legs than he was before. He placed his hands on her knees and gently massaged them as he looked up at her, his look reflecting clear adoration. She was so beautiful. He revelled in how precious it was that she was sharing this moment with him. Tohru, looking at his length carefully, held back a soft laugh, noting that the hair around it was the same bright orange colour as the hair on his head. He followed her gaze before looking up at her again, somewhat insecure at what her reaction meant.

His look was clear. He was openly vulnerable, and she wanted to make sure he was at ease. She placed a reassuring hand on his cheek. “I’ve just . . . never seen a man naked before. I didn’t know it would be the same colour,” she said, smiling.

Kyō blushed and looked away. “Yeah, it’s the same colour,” he said begrudgingly. After a beat, he glanced up at her out of the corner of his eye and saw how she turned away, suddenly bashful. The intimacy of seeing him naked—and of her being naked in front of him—suddenly seemed to overwhelm her as her cheeks were tinged with pink.

She seemed so shy, not wanting to state her blatant desire for him. He took a moment to look between her legs, too, memorising the way the pink flesh at her entrance looked.

She glanced down at him and caught him looking. “K-Kyō!” she shouted softly, suddenly self-conscious. She refrained from crossing her legs, though, feeling as though she wanted to acclimate herself to this new level of intimacy.

He looked up at her cautiously from his kneeling position. “Oi, Tohru . . . you can look at me . . . if you want.” He turned to deliberately expose himself to her more, a mad blush deepening across his face.

“Kyō . . . I mean . . . shouldn’t . . . isn’t-”

“Hey,” he chided softly as he looked down at the ground between them, “if we’re going to go all the way, shouldn’t we get used to seeing each other?”

She stilled for a moment but then nodded softly, her blush creeping further along her face, and took a moment before looking back down at his cock. The skin was tan like the rest of him. She noted the red bulb at the top and the band of taut foreskin just beneath it.

She blushed even more deeply as she looked at it. “C-Can I touch it?” she asked.

Kyō felt his chest tighten, saying nothing, but nodded tightly in a bid to hide his embarrassment.

Mustering her courage, she reached down between the two of them and touched the tip of his erection. Kyō said nothing but sucked in a deep breath through his nose. She ran her hand down the smooth skin of the shaft, leaning over from the bed as she ran her fingers through the hair at the base before gently wrapping her hand around the shaft.

Tohru stilled her movements as Kyō slowly brought his hand over to hers. He silently guided her, showing her how to grip it and run her hand from base to tip. The skin felt smooth, and she was surprised that, in spite of how hard it seemed, it could be yielding, too.

She continued feeling it, exploring it, getting used to it as Kyō tried to keep himself from making any noise except for his breathing.

After stroking it a few times, Tohru looked on in a kind of surprise and took her hand away when a bead of clear pre pooled at the top.

“Ah! No,” he said quickly. “That’s not! It . . . that’s . . . that happens . . . when a man . . . feels pleasure,” he said at last. “It’s just part of . . . what comes out,” he finished in a low voice. His blush seemed to be spreading to his whole body now.

She nodded and looked down at it once more. “Did . . . did you want to look at me, too?” she asked.

He looked over at her, still feeling somewhat embarrassed, and nodded as he stood up.

She said nothing as he sat next to her on the bed.

She couldn’t help looking at his cock again, and Kyō could feel his blush grow brighter.

“Tohru . . . are you . . . sure you want to go all the way?” he asked as he slowly looked over to her.

She was looking slightly down at the ground before her, now.

“We don’t have to do this,” he continued. “We can-”

“No, Kyō,” she whispered quietly. “I’m sure. I want to have this with you. I want to share my body with you.”

His look hardened and he grit his teeth. He looked down at himself, examining his arms and hands. He felt her hands on his bare skin and he sucked in a breath as she slowly massaged his back and felt around his chest. She was facing him sideways and taking her time as she explored him. Eventually, her hands made it down to his length again, and he felt as she took hold of him, carefully running her fingers over the head and spreading the pearl of semen around it.

Kyō let out a stunned breath. She wanted him. She wanted his body with hers. Deep down, he felt a kind of ardent lust fill him even as he tried to check those sensations. He couldn’t however; not when she had said what she had said. She was too good for him. He knew it—everyone knew it. But she wanted him, anyway.

 _She wants to share her body with mine!_ He felt himself harden even more at the memory of her words. _She wants me to share mine with hers . . . ._ His mind drifted as the meaning of that thought clutched in his chest as he looked from his erection to the parting of her thighs, and his breath shuddered.

Her hands eventually gripped his shoulders and drew him forward and down as she lent sideways. He followed slowly, eventually catching himself on his arms, holding himself away from her at an arms-length to once again prevent any semblance of a hug.

She brought her legs onto the bed and parted them for him. His chest tightened, and he felt himself throb as he watched her slim waist disappear beneath his. He looked up into her eyes and saw her own shining back at him with such love and admiration. At that moment, he thought their joy would fill the world. All he needed was this forever.

With a steady hand, he reached for his length and for the first time leant back and really got a good look at her nethers. It was the most erotic moment of his life, and as he looked down to her, Tohru could swear she saw the same glimmering love and admiration for her as she felt for him.

 _Just this once,_ thought Tohru, _let yourself be happy, Kyō! It’s all I want for you . . . it’s all I want for us right now!_

She let out a tiny squeak when she felt his hardness brush against her nether region.

“Tohru . . .” she heard him say softly, “where . . . where is it? I don’t know . . . .”

When he trailed off, she smiled softly and sat up slightly and found him staring at the part between her legs. He looked up at her hesitantly. Blushing with profound embarrassment, she reached down between her thighs and parted her lips to show him.

“It’s here,” she said, softly dabbing the inner flesh with her finger, stifling a moan.

He looked her in the face. “Here?” he asked as he reached his hand, following her finger, and touched her, keeping a steady eye on the opening she’d shown him. He felt his chest tighten and his cock throb with anticipation as he thought about entering her.

“K-Kyō . . .” she gasped in a whisper as his feather-light touch sent a spark through her.

He looked up at her with a kind, careful smile on his face. “Does it feel good?” he asked, his voice low and husky.

She nodded her head silently.

He trailed his fingers around her opening and watched her gasp. “Do you want me to do it more?” he asked.

“K-Kyō . . . y-you don’t have to-!”

“But I want to. May I?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Will you be honest with me? Will you tell me if I do something wrong?”

“K-Kyō, I-”

“Please, promise me you’ll tell me if I do something wrong. I want to show you how much I love you.”

Her eyes opened wide at his words, love filling her vision as he looked on. She gave a slight nod and watched his kind smile return.

“Thank you,” he said.

She gasped when she felt his finger gently trail the circumference of her folds. He reached the top, the tip of his finger gently grazing the apex.

Tohru gasped at the sensation and felt as Kyō rubbed her there, again. She covered her mouth to prevent a cry from leaving her mouth and slightly covered her face with the other.

She felt him stop and looked up slightly between her fingers.

He was smiling down at her lovingly. “Tohru,” he said, his baritone voice carrying a soft and comforting tone, “don’t hide yourself from me, please.”

“But I . . . I might be making an ugly face,” she whispered.

His smile widened slightly as he reached down to caress her cheek and brush her hand away in one motion.

“You’re always beautiful to me, Tohru. You don’t have to hide from me.”

“I . . . Kyō . . . .”

“Look at me,” he murmured as he carefully ran his fingers over the hood at the top of her mound and watched as she closed her eyes, and moaned out in pleasure, a tiny cry that reached his ears as he continued.

“Does it feel best here?” he asked.

She couldn’t answer, her mouth falling slightly agape and tears pricking the corners of her eyes as she nodded.

He reached beneath the hood and touched the tiny button he felt there.

“Ow!” she cried in a quiet voice.

He stopped instantly.

“Are you okay?” he asked, worry filling his voice and his look full of concern.

“Just, give me a moment. It’s too sensitive for you to touch me there.”

“Does it hurt at all when I touch above it?” he asked.

She shook her head.

“Like this?” he asked as he started touching her where he had been before.

She nodded.

“Stop for a moment before you go on,” she asked.

He nodded and waited for her to give him the go-ahead.

“Can I touch you someplace else before I touch you there again?” he asked.

She nodded and felt as his fingers circled lower, eventually reaching her opening once again. She felt as his fingers gingerly parted her lips while another finger gently felt around the outside of her opening, dipping slightly inside.

She let out a high pitched sigh and brought her hand to her mouth as she let out moans of pleasure.

Kyō continued what he was doing, watching her face as deep joy spread throughout his chest at the knowledge that he could make her feel this way. He gingerly let his finger feel inside her, sensing the ridges, almost like the roof of his mouth. She bit her lower lip in pleasure, her eyes closed as she continued letting out her little cries. They grew louder as Kyō led his fingers back up to the hood and began carefully circling her there. He couldn’t get enough of looking at her so intimately. He felt fascinated by the way she looked.

Tohru gasped as he pushed a finger into her opening again and began carefully rotating it around.

Kyō felt an urge well up within him. He’d heard the guys at his school talking about putting their mouths on women. He had no idea how it was supposed to work, but the urge to try was strong. He considered for a moment how Tohru would react. Before he could let himself think about it or about how it might be received, he lowered his face between her legs, supporting himself on his hands and dipped his tongue into her opening, wondering how she would taste.

Tohru watched what he did but the motion was too quick for her to say anything. His head was between her thighs, and she suddenly felt his tongue on her, dipping into her.

“Ky-Kyō!” she cried out at the sensation. She gasped loudly when she felt his tongue lave from her petals up to the top of her hood. Sparks flew behind her eyelids as he did so. Her moans of pleasure only encouraged him as he continued his tongue's ministrations there. “Y-Yes! J-Just like that!” she moaned. Her cries of pleasure grew louder and louder as he continued what he was doing. She felt the pleasure spread from that point of contact through her body like a hose of warm water that sent out slow streams of pleasure through her being. She instinctively arched her back, pushing against his mouth.

She could feel herself reaching for something as the pleasure mounted at the point of contact, spreading throughout the region near her thighs.

“Kyō . . . ! I never . . . ! I’ve never . . . !”

“Tohru . . .” he whispered against her flesh, his voice dark with desire, “what do you want from me?”

“Only you,” she cried as the pleasure seemed to be reaching a fever pitch. “You’re all I could ask for!”

Kyō felt his chest swell with need at her words as he continued his motions just as he had before and was rewarded when, moments later, his sweet Tohru came for him.

“K-Kyō!” she cried as her hands reached for him, as they desperately sought to cling to him. She felt points of pleasure bursting throughout her body, centred on the place where Kyō touched her. She felt herself contracting involuntarily, and she realised vaguely, somewhere in the back of her mind, that she wanted Kyō inside her.

 _I might never have thought of myself as that kind of girl,_ she thought to herself as she came down from her orgasm, _but with Kyō, it’s different. I’m different._

Tohru opened her eyes to find Kyō looking down at her as his own body loomed over her. He sat back a moment and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before allowing his body to cover hers once again. She looked into his eyes, his light smile gazing down at her affectionately as he reached down to cup her head. She felt his erection pressing against her inner thigh and she looked between them to look at it again, wondering what it would feel like to have it inside her—to have Kyō inside her.

She was still huffing in the aftermath of the pleasure he’d given her but shifted as Kyō moved the covers and pulled them over the both of them before carefully covering her body with his.

It was suddenly so much more intimate as they lay there beneath the sheets, holding each other and gazing into each other’s eyes. It felt as if there were only the two of them.

There was a tense yet precious moment of silence as he stared down at her.

Tohru only knew that she wanted more. She wanted to be with him. She wanted to give him the same pleasure that he’d given her. “Please, Kyō,” she whispered, “I . . . I . . . .” She could barely think as she brought her hand to his collar bone and pulled him down slowly.

“Tohru,” he said in that dark whisper of his, “are you sure? I don’t want to ruin you.”

“You can’t,” she said as she reached her other hand and threaded her fingers through his hair. “All I know is that I love you. And I know _you_ , Kyō. You want to have a place in the world. Everybody wants a place where they belong.”

 _She . . . she can’t know me,_ the voice in his head insisted. _I don’t belong! My father knows me. He sees me for who I am—a monster!_

His eyes suddenly flashed open and found his defiance met with the warm, embracing regard of his goddess. She was his world right now, but he couldn’t help the self-doubt that plagued him.

“Tohru . . .” his voice trembled as he felt his body align with hers, fear and passion and happiness and love bursting through him as he felt his erection brush her entrance. He stopped short. He didn’t deserve this. Not with _her!_

“What’s stopping you?” she asked softly.

“Tohru, how is this real? I . . . Tohru . . . I don’t belong anywhere. Not in this house, not in this family, not in this universe.” _Not with y-!_

“It’s because you belong with me,” she said quietly as she took his hand gently. “And if you belong nowhere, I’ll belong nowhere _with_ you.”

His eyes widened at her words.

“My love is strong enough, Kyō. My love is good enough. I know what I’m worth,” she insisted quietly.

“Tohru . . . how can you love me? How can you know me?” he whispered, his face inches from hers. “How can you . . . _want_ me like this?”

“I know you, Kyō,” she whispered, her adoring gaze penetrating him as her eyes met his. “You’re the most wonderful man—the man I love,” she finished softly.

His mouth was on hers in an instant as he felt her love wrap around him like a cocoon that shielded them from the world. He broke the kiss as he reached his hand down to take hold of his length and aimed it at her entrance before looking back up at her for permission.

She nodded carefully, smiling softly as she caressed the side of his face. “I’m ready, Kyō . . . my body is yours,” she whispered.

He nodded and looked down between them as he whispered, “And mine . . . is yours, Tohru.” He paused and let out a shuddering breath before slowly rocking his hips forward. He watched the tip of his erection make its way inside her folds and let out a soft growl at the heat he felt there.

Tohru kept her eyes on his face, seeing his brow knit in pleasure, his eyes focused down between them and moaned as she felt the soft yet somehow solid intrusion make its way inside her. “K-Kyō!” she gasped.

Once the tip was knocked at her warm entrance, he removed his hand and supported himself on his forearms as he slowly began to sink into her, relishing the tension on his length as it bowed in. The further he pushed, the wetter she felt and the easier it became.

Kyō closed his eyes and held back moans as his sex descended deeper and deeper into the warmth and wetness of her body, revelling in the sensation as his cock parted her petals for the first time. He worked to keep himself from trembling but couldn’t help the tell-tale sign of his shuddering breaths as he moaned her name in his mind, _Tohru! Tohru!_ Her heat surrounded the head of his manhood in an indescribable way. She was so warm to him!

He let out a shuddering breath as he continued pushing in, slowly moving centimetre by centimetre. He was determined to take it slow. Doing this with someone you loved required care, Kyō thought, and he wasn’t about to desecrate Tohru’s first time by barging into the gift of her body. At each little gasp, he stopped and opened his eyes to make sure she was alright only continuing at her reassurance.

After only a few more moments he finally felt himself seated, fully sheathed within her. He could feel his erection throbbing with his heartbeat, pulsing within her tight core as the heat from her core sank into his length. He took some deep breaths as the pressure surrounding his shaft, the sensation of heat, and the knowledge that it was she with whom he was doing this was nearly enough to send him over the edge.

It was so strange to think this, but his cock felt at home, as though it belonged there and nowhere else. The sensation brought with it a calming feeling of safety. Not only was his cock where it belonged, but he himself was exactly where he belonged—in her arms, holding her beneath him. She was his home, he realised! He was hers. How would he ever be able to let her go?!

His thoughts raced as possessiveness and raw passion heated his blood. _I swear, Tohru! I swear by everything in me that I’ll never give up until you’re in my arms again! Until I can have you this way forever!_

His breath shuddered, his fiery gaze pinning her to him. “Tohru, I promise you that someday . . . I _will_ make you my wife!”

“Kyō!” she cried tenderly. Tears fell from the corners of her eyes. “I’m so happy, Kyō!” she added. After a few moments, she went on. “I promise you, I’ll wait for you. For as long as it takes,” she said caressing his face. “No matter what they say, I’ll always think of you as my husband, Kyō!”

He bent down and captured her lips, his eyes closing.

 _Tonight,_ he thought, _tonight you_ are _my wife!_

In his heart, he thought he could hear her voice calling back— _Always, Kyō!_

When at last he’d had a moment to calm himself, he pulled away and opened his eyes. “Did I hurt you at all?” he asked in a soft whisper as he looked down at her. “When I took you?” he added.

He watched her eyes open as she shook her head. “No, you went slow.”

He saw her worry her lip and he arched his eyebrow. “Is something wrong?”

“Nothing,” she said, smiling and shaking her head. “I was just worried because they told me that it was supposed to hurt, but . . .” her voice began to tremble, “you took care of me . . . .”

He wanted to hold her to himself more at that moment than he ever had at any other time.

“Of course I did,” he said, his voice just as shaky. “You’re the woman I love.”

They were each in each other’s power as he leant in for another kiss.

When they parted, he smiled and nuzzled her cheek.

“I can feel you, Kyō,” she whispered, nuzzling back and kissing his cheek. “You feel strong.”

Kyō let out a shuddering breath as he swore he was able to feel her heartbeat through her walls, pulsing around him. Never in his life had he felt so connected to anyone as he did to her. And it could only be because it was she! He was certain of that beyond any shadow of a doubt.

They allowed for a quiet moment to pass as his length soaked inside her, allowing it to stretch her—allowing her a moment to adjust.

After a few moments of kissing, Kyō finally nuzzled down her cheek and bent down to speak in her ear. “I’m gonna start moving now if that’s alright,” he whispered. “Remember your promise: Tell me if anything hurts,” he said.

She gave a slight nod, and he looked down in satisfaction as she began to moan when he moved his hips, carefully pushing his length in and out in a slow, shallow thrust, shuddering himself as his length penetrated her.

Her body was a miracle! He felt a groan leave his throat unbidden as the head of his cock nestled deep within her pool of heat. He pulled out all the way, needing to repeat the sensation of sinking into her again and again. He brought the tip to her entrance and allowed it to part her flesh. The going was slightly easier this time but he still felt a tightening sensation in his chest as he felt the head of his length sink into her, the velvet crests caressing it, the sensation indescribably blissful as he said her name like a prayer. He repeated the action a few more times, working himself in and out, needing to live in that moment of taking her and making her his.

“Kyō!” she cried in a hushed whisper as the repeated sensations of pleasure thrummed through her with each movement. “Yes!” she cried as she reached for his shoulders.

“Tohru . . .” he gasped slightly as he slowly worked himself in and out. He needed to feel this . . . to feel himself taking her. He needed to feel like she was really his, to prove it to himself that this was actually happening.

He indulged himself a few more shallow thrusts at the opening of her depths before slowly working up to deep, plunging thrusts before consciously slowing down again as he sucked in air, elation gripping him as he tried to keep himself from being swept away by the sensations he found in her body. 

He whispered her name as he continued; and as he did, his slow, shallow thrusts gradually came faster. He moaned for her as with each movement he felt as he slowly began sinking deeper, craving more of her heat around him. He remembered the way his fingers had massaged that pleasurable area at the apex of her thighs and tried to angle his thrusts to give her a similar kind of sensation, pushing all the way in and grinding the base of his length against her.

Tohru cried out beneath him at the sensation and arched against him, meeting his thrusts with her own as she strove to increase their pleasure. She moved with him, the sensation of his entering her fulfilling her in more ways than she could have thought. At that moment, she wanted to feel that way forever, to have him inside her forever as she gave into to her desire for him, the deep craving she felt for him, body and soul.

She glanced up at him, watching the strain on his face as he took pleasure in her body while also working to bring her to orgasm. She felt wanton for the first time in her life. She had never felt this way before in her life. Kyō’s body . . . was objectively handsome and she felt a lust for it as she never had before. She had never ever given herself permission to look at him that way and now she felt such a craving for him—for his body—in this carnal way that seemed so foreign. She had never ever felt his skin on hers before . . . not like _this!_ Now, each touch seemed electric as the barriers between them had come down, crashing like the walls of Jericho. She ran her hands up and down his arms, over his chest and down his abs. Gaining courage, she brought her fingers down to the point of their joining, feeling his shaft with her fingers as with each stroke he entered her and she heard him grunt above her in pleasure. She looked up into his face and saw him staring down at her intently.

“Tohru . . .” he growled in a low voice.

She suddenly felt him quicken his pace and she brought her fingers away. She pressed her hips up against each of his thrusts, wanting to take him in deeper as she spread her legs for him more.

“K-Kyō!” she cried as the rapturous sensations caught her up in flames of delight. “M-More!” she heard herself say.

He let out a sigh of pleasure as his manhood seemed to grow harder, the sensation of her walls around him bringing him higher and higher toward the altar of pleasure. Sweat began to gather on his brow as he held himself aloft on his forearms. As much as he tried to keep himself aloft on a steady plateau of pleasure, he eventually felt himself reaching the tipping point, like the final plunge of a sinking ship.

Kyō groaned as he felt her body draw him in deeper—as he felt his cock being pulled into her, fitting around him like a velvet glove, as though it were becoming part of her. Their moans and his continued rocking formed a feedback loop of ecstasy, driving them to exultation as they moved with each other.

Tohru’s cries came louder and louder as she felt the firmness of his length penetrating deeper and deeper, joining her, and pleasuring her in ways she hadn’t thought possible. She felt the head of his erection reach deep within her as she gazed up at him, her eyes filled with rapture as her heart filled with the warming knowledge that they were taking pleasure in each other—that he was feeling for her what she was feeling for him.

He plunged deeply, and she moaned with him as he gyrated his hips against her nether region, his groin pressing and massaging her pearl from the outside as their innocent love surrounded them, holding them fast as they sailed together

Sparks flew behind her eyes as the pleasure spread through her. Her breaths came out in short huffs as she cried, “Kyō . . . ! Kyō . . . ! Please . . . !” She frantically gripped the sheets and curled her toes as she felt herself reaching her limit.

He grit his teeth and pushed in hard and deep before setting a quick pace that bounced his waist against hers.

Kyō felt surreal as the pleasure within him mounted. His face flushed red as he continued to move, needing to feel more of her as he thrust faster and faster. He was aware of where every part of them was. He could hear her cries, he could feel the way her petals clutched his length, he could feel light sweat gathering on his forehead and shoulders as he moved. He felt her hands grip his upper arms, felt the way her fingers curled around his biceps as she attempted to in some way hug him as he brought her closer and closer to climax.

He felt his breath start to shorten as he hurtled nearer and nearer toward the edge of the precipice.

Tohru cried out loudly when the first wave of her orgasm hit her. “Kyō!” she shouted as her body began to pulse around him. “More . . . ! D-Don’t stop!” She felt herself drowning in an ocean of light as wave after intoxicating wave swelled within her body lifting her up and down in an embrace of euphoria.

His pace continued faster, feeling his emotional tether to Tohru flash with heat as she came around him, her passage feeling slightly slicker as he continued to thrust within her. He felt his chest swell with pride and pleasure as she broke around him, feeling elated that he was able to bring her to orgasm. It was a compliment to his ego that his cock could give her that kind of pleasure.

Tohru’s finger’s gripped his biceps tightly as she felt herself clamp around Kyō’s hardness, feeling herself fall into an abyss of pleasurable light as the sensation of his cock inside her only heightened the experience, the feeling of fullness thrilling her in ways his tongue hadn’t. She cried out his name as the summit of bliss lanced through her being, his thrusting, his fullness, increasing the pleasure immeasurably as he prolonged it.

He continued moving, desperately now, wanting to prolong her pleasure for as long as he could as the amazing sensation of her walls clenching him set alarm bells off in his mind—he wanted to finish with her!

 _Are you going to do it?_ asked a voice deep within himself. _Are you really going to ruin her like that? If you finish inside her, you could ruin her life in more ways than one._

He tried to quiet the thought and force himself to live in the moment, but it was no use. In spite of the voice, however, he’d already made his decision. And he hated himself for it.

_You filthy asshole. You should at least ask her!_

_I don’t need to!_ he shouted back. _She already told me . . . she said, “You_ are _allowed to be selfish, just this once.”_

He felt himself nearing the edge as her pleasure laden body still wrapped around him, gripping him in a vice of pure heaven.

 _Just this once,_ he murmured, _just this once and then I won’t ask any more . . . ,_ he begged, pleading as much with himself in his mind as with Tohru.

 _Just this once,_ he was at the breaking point, _and then I won’t ask any more . . . ._

Tohru’s eyes opened when she suddenly felt Kyō thrust deep within her, holding himself inside her, his eyes crushed shut in pleasure.

_I promise!_

Kyō felt time stop for several heartbeats as he drove himself into her as deeply as he could. He was at the edge, now, and there was nothing that could keep him from falling over.

A lightning bolt of pleasure cracked in his mind as he felt the first pulse of his cock inside her and the stream of white heat that accompanied it. He let out a shout as he felt it! His breath shuddered as the ecstatic throbbing continued and felt with wonder as his seed shot from the core of his body, from his soul, out of him and into her.

He let out a guttural roar of ecstasy as he joined her in the wells of pleasure, and they held each other tightly as they fell further and further into the love they felt for each other. The roar of euphoria resounded loudly in their ears as in that moment, the world became white-hot and searing as elation caught them in a whirlpool of sensation as they knew only each other.

Kyō moaned as he continued to pour himself into her, body and soul, unable to help but feel as though he had just tied their spirits together forever.

Tohru’s blissful cries continued ringing throughout the room as she looked up at him through her own orgasm, feeling his liquid passion flow from his body, offering her its heated potential and the comfort of his presence. She held his arms as he continued thrusting through their respective peaks a few more times before finally pushing in deeply and resting his body, barely touching hers as he held himself on his forearms, for a few moments as he caught his breath.

She felt her orgasm subside and resisted the urge to wrap her arms or her legs around his waist for fear of transforming him.

As his breathing finally slowed down enough, he opened his eyes slowly. She was already looking up at him, her shimmering eyes shining with love for him. Her body looked to him as though she were wreathed in a soft fog as they settled into the afterglow.

Kyō didn’t want to move from her, desiring to stay connected to her for as long as he could, but finally forced himself to pull out and lay next to her. She turned to face him yet kept her distance as she reached out her hand to caress his arm.

“That was wonderful, Kyō,” she whispered.

He smirked gently but then looked off to the side slightly as he leant on his elbow beside her.

“Listen . . . I’m sorry . . .” he murmured.

“For what?” she asked, slight concern tingeing her voice and widening her eyes slightly in question. She sat up a smidge.

“For finishing inside you,” he said.

She seemed almost relieved at his answer and she smiled at him, letting herself fall back into the mattress. “It’s fine,” she said.

“I should’ve asked, though.”

“You didn’t have to. If you had asked me, what do you think my answer would’ve been?” she asked.

He looked at her for a moment before clucking his tongue and shaking his head in slight annoyance. “You probably would’ve said yes. It’s the way you are.”

She smiled. “You know me.”

His eyes opened again and he looked at her carefully under his eyelashes. “Oi . . . you sure I wasn’t taking advantage of you?”

“O-Of course not!” she said in that cute, defiant way of hers. “I know you, Kyō, and I trust you Kyō! You’re not the type of man to do something intentionally bad to someone that you like. You’re always trying to be so thoughtful,” she said, propping herself up on her side as she let the sheet fall away from her, her naked torso revealing itself even in the dark room.

Kyō’s eyes widened as she spoke. He hadn’t expected her to be so defiant. To be so . . . affirmative with her defence of his character. He smirked, closed his eyes and shook his head. She’d make a great lawyer.

She took his hand softly. “If you really thought that I would’ve been hurt by you doing that, I know you—you wouldn’t’ve done it. You’re just worried still . . . because you’re still thinking that happiness is something that should be withheld from you.”

His smile faded and was replaced by a contemplative look as he regarded her.

“You don’t think,” she continued in a shy whisper, “that it makes me happy to have part of you still with me?”

There was a moment’s pause before he suddenly leant over to her in an instant and took her into a deep kiss before parting from her. “And you don’t think . . .” he started slowly, “you’re not worried about . . . what’ll happen if you get pregnant?” he asked. “I might’ve ruined your life with my selfishness.”

She shook her head and caressed his bicep. “I wouldn’t mind, if it were yours,” she said quietly. “I would treasure him.”

The woman was a miracle. More than a miracle.

“You would want that?” he asked, his eyes looking on her carefully.

She smiled back sweetly. “Whether it happens or not . . . I wouldn’t mind it. You’re special, Kyō, even if you don’t see it,” she said as she ran her hand up and down his arm. “Don’t listen to people who put you down and tell you there’s nothing good about you. There is something you have that is innately part of you that is worth passing on. I can see it so clearly.”

It was the metaphor of the onigiri all over again, he realised. He leant in and gave her another peck on the lips.

“I trust you,” he whispered. “I trust your vision of who I am,” he finished as his hand reached over and caressed her forearm.

 _To hell with Akito,_ thought Kyō. _Tohru’s my goddess._

Kyō let out a sigh as with that thought, he felt something within him dissolve. His soul was lassoed to her, now, no matter what may come. They were irrevocably tied.

He let go of her arm and laid back.

“We still have the whole evening,” she murmured as she reached over and started caressing his chest and abs. “Is there anything else you want to do?”

He shook his head “no” as he stared up at the ceiling.

“Just feel like being here with you,” he murmured.

The two of them spent time talking about nothing—about work, the graduation ceremony, what Tohru was planning for lunch and breakfast the following day; anything to keep from thinking about what the following evening would bring.

“I think we should get some rest,” Kyō eventually said as he looked over to her.

She nodded in agreement and tried to rest.

For the next half hour, though, neither of them were able to get to sleep as the anxieties of the following day's sorrows kept them alert and apprehnsive.

Kyō found himself staring up at the ceiling silently. Pain lanced his heart as the memory of what would happen tomorrow came back to mind and he lay there.

“Kyō?” Tohru asked, “Are you awake, too?”

Kyō was silent for a moment but eventually said, “Yeah . . . I’m awake.”

She said nothing.

“Why aren’t you asleep?” he asked.

“You know why, Kyō,” she said. There was a slight tremor to voice.

 _So she couldn’t help thinking about it either,_ he thought.

“Will they let me visit you?” she asked. “Until you’re free, will they let me visit you?”

Kyō wanted to tell her, "yes" but of course he couldn’t. “No,” he whispered, pain clutching his chest, “they won’t.”

“So we only have tonight,” she said in a trembling statement.

He nodded and said, “Yeah.”

She turned around and faced him. “Then I’ll stay with you. I’ll be with you all night.”

His body already ached from missing her and he reached out to brush his fingers against her cheek. “I don’t want to leave you,” he said quietly, his voice trembling with sorrow and want.

She reached over and placed her hand over his heart, feeling its strong beat as she spoke softly though emphatically. “You’re not leaving yet, Kyō! You’re not gone yet, Kyō! You’re here!”

There was a tense pause and suddenly, Kyō was over her again, his eyes intense as he stared down at her. His kiss met her with a fiery intensity as he once again positioned himself at her entrance and pushed inside her.

They both groaned in pleasure as he did so, clinging to each other as Kyō set a harder, passionate pace.

“You’re here, Kyō! You’re here!” she cried out as pleasure mounted within her.

 _Tohru!_ his mind shouted, _I’ll always be here with you!_

Their lovemaking continued until once again they collapsed as they were both subsumed by pleasure.

***

In the wells of that second afterglow, they fell into silence as they lay side-by-side. They remained there meditatively as they drifted in and out of sleep as the night grew darker. Each time Kyō or Tohru’s thoughts fell into despair as the next day drew closer and closer, they would interrupt each other with kisses, love-making, and reassurance. Tohru stayed with him all night, each of them hoping that their time together would help make up for his future absence.

Gradually, they fell into a deep sleep, turning back-to-back to keep from hugging each other.

However, when the dawn of sunlight tinged Kyō’s room with gold that following morning, it found Tohru nestled in a hug, Kyō’s arms around her in a comforting embrace as he held her from behind in his sleep. There was no hint of magic or the curse as his hold tightened around her. They shared a sleep as they met each other, freely, in their dreams.


	2. Graduation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after a night of passion leaves our two protagonists waking up to a day that treats them to some bitter realities. The day isn't really much for celebration as the two of them spend their energy making love in the afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a little difficult for me to write. I wanted to keep going back over it to make sure I was hearing the characters' voices correctly and that they were coming across in just the right way. I hope you all enjoy it!

Tohru awoke first in the light of morning. In the half-fog of early wakefulness, she felt warm in the comfort of Kyō’s embrace, her clouded mind unable to understand the beautiful significance of his unconscious affection for her as she pulled his arm more tightly around her, breathing out a soft sigh as she began lightly drifting off again. She was aware of a slight soreness between her thighs and she shifted slightly in discomfort.

“Tohru,” Kyō murmured as he roused slightly. He opened his eyes and looked over Tohru’s head to the alarm clock he kept on his nightstand. “Hey, Tohru,” he said as he gently roused her, “it’s time to . . . .” He trailed off as he realised he was holding her. His hand was fisted against the soft skin of her abdomen, his arm was draped over her side. He didn’t dare move, praying with all his heart that this wasn’t a dream—that he wouldn’t wake up. “Tohru,” he started, quietly stunned, “Tohru . . . .” He shut his eyes tightly as hope and joy washed over him.

She stirred a bit and turned. “Kyō?”

Something in his voice had given away the sense of excitement he was feeling.

For a moment, he said nothing—only looking at her.

She turned so she was facing him now, heedless of the fact that they were both naked. “Kyō?” she asked again, curiously.

In a heartbeat, Tohru found herself in a tight embrace.

“Kyō, what’re you-” she stopped herself when he didn’t transform. Seconds passed that felt like eternities.

“Tohru . . .” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

“Kyō!” she cried as she tearfully returned his embrace, holding him tightly. “Kyō! What’s happening? How can this be?” she asked as she kissed the skin of his collar before looking up at him.

They both sat up holding each other as he shook his head. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, pressing her whole body to his as she held him in a tight embrace as though to never let him go.

After a moment, he dropped his arms around her and took her hands as she released him.

“The curse is broken!” she said. “Kyō! You’re free!” she said excitedly.

He drew her forward in a hard kiss.

“We have to tell the rest of the family! They have to know!” she said when they broke away.

He nodded hesitantly. “We will,” he said, a distant look on his face as though he’d just realised something terrible. “There’s . . . no hurry to tell everyone, though,” he added. It seemed as though he were wanting to hold back joy for some reason.

She looked bemused. “But . . . we should call Yuki at least,” she said. “Oh, Kyō, this is wonderful! This is amazing!” Her joy still palatable but waning as she noted Kyō’s sudden hesitancy.

Taking his hand in hers, she gently rubbed her thumb over the top. “There’s something wrong though, isn’t there?” she asked.

He nodded somewhat slowly and she turned on the bed to face him more directly.

“Tohru,” said Kyō in a cautious tone as he took her hand, “There’s . . . something . . . .”

She was quiet as she waited for him to continue.

“Somehow . . .” he started slowly, “my bond to Akito is still there.”

She looked surprised. “How can that be?” she asked. “The rest of the curse is gone.”

He shook his head, feeling just as clueless. “I’m not sure. But anyway . . . that’s why I’m trying to be cautious about how happy to be. As long as the bond is in place . . . there’s always going to be a desire to submit to the god of the zodiac. And it means . . . that I’m still probably going to have to leave tonight . . . .”

Tohru felt tears rush to her eyes. She felt as though the world were toying with them, giving them some glimmer of hope before snatching it away!

She covered her mouth and closed her eyes as silent tears poured down.

He put his hand on her waist when she looked distressed. “Hey,” he said quietly, “there’s no use getting worried about something we’re not sure about,” he said, feeling like the baneful monster he was for having to snatch her joy away. “I just don’t want you to get your hopes up if things don’t go the way you’re hoping tonight,” he said as he let out a sigh. For all his calm exterior, he was holding back as much angst and frustration as she felt. He was trying hard to be strong for her. He _needed_ to be strong even though breaking the bad news had crushed his heart.

He held her to him and caressed her hair, running his fingers through it as she wept against his chest.

He let out a sigh as he caressed her. “That’s why I don’t know if we should tell anyone,” he said. “Especially if it might only cause problems.”

She shook her head, stifling her sobs before she looked up at him at last. “I think Shigure and Yuki should know, though. We’ve known them too long not to trust them.” She leant into him and hugged him as she nuzzled into his chest. “At least I get to hold you as much as I want,” she said.

Kyō smiled and nodded as he held her and kissed the top of her head. There was a pause for a moment longer as Kyō thought before responding to her earlier statement. “You’re right . . . we should tell Shigure,” he started slowly, “and we should tell Yuki”

She nodded. “I’ll call Ayame’s house in a bit to see if he’s still there. What do you think I should tell him?” Her eyes were still wet, but she was trying to take control of herself.

Kyō pondered for a moment, nuzzling her forehead as he looked down at her. She clearly needed his presence.

“I think we need to tell him in person,” he said at last. “When you call him, just tell him . . . that we need to see him before the graduation ceremony starts.” He paused for a moment to look between them at their mutual state of undress. “We should get ready since we need to be there early.”

She nodded, drying her tears. She turned and stood up, looking for all the world to him like a goddess as the beauty of her pale skin seemed as though it were wrapped in a halo as she walked in front of the window, the sunlight catching her figure.

He pulled back the covers and got out of bed, himself. He smiled and strode over to her as she turned and smiled at him as she started gathering her things. He took her chin between his thumb and forefinger and leant down to take her lips in another soft kiss.

“Thank you,” he murmured softly. “That the curse seems to be broken is enough and it never would’ve happened without you.”

She shook her head softly. “It’s thanks to you. I’m sure of it,” she said.

“Hey, can’t you take a compliment?” he said, smirking. “I’m trying to be romantic.”

She smiled spacily and placed both her hands on his chest.

“Don’t be so modest,” he continued in a serious tone. Smiling, he caressed her cheek, letting his hand continue as it ran through her hair. “You’ve loved me in a way I never thought anybody would.”

“What a thing to say!” she said, blushing brightly and turning away slightly.

“It’s true,” he said tenderly. “You don’t know the effect that you have on me. Just being with you here . . . it’s only made me love you more.”

She pulled him into a hug and he gratefully pulled her into a tight embrace of his own.

“Tohru . . .” he whispered, “I love you . . . .”

She nodded and couldn’t help that she felt tears in her eyes when he said it.

He nuzzled into the top of her head. “I’ll never be able to say I love you enough between now and the time for me to go,” he said quietly.

“Kyō . . .” she started softly, “do you think that . . . what we did last night . . . that broke the curse?” she asked.

Kyō looked down at her, somewhat thoughtful but eventually shook his head. “No. That . . . has nothing to do with breaking the curse, I don’t think. Hatsuharu and Rin would’ve broken it before now if that were the case. So would Hatori-san with his fiancée, Kana.”

She nodded, her blush abating a bit. “Then . . . what could it have been?” she pondered.

“Why’re you wondering about that?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I promised that I would break the curse,” she said as she looked up into his eyes, a defiant look on her face. “I wanted to find out for your sake, but the rest of them are still cursed and they need my help. The main part of the curse has been broken but the bond hasn’t—and that’s the part of the curse I still need to learn more about.”

He nodded as he looked down at her. “Alright,” he said cautiously, not sure how to help but wanting to.

“Do you know what the nature of the curse is?” she asked.

He shook his head. “No. Only that it involves Akito and our desire to be around him.”

Kyō looked off to his right, his brow knit in a stern look as he seemed to be evaluating something. “I don’t know how it works . . . but I remember when Momiji said that he was released from his curse . . . that his bond to Akito was also gone, and that he didn’t feel the yearning for ‘god’ anymore.”

“But then what could be the reason for that?” she asked.

Kyō shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe the reason Momiji’s bond broke so easily is because Akito disliked him from the start.”

Despite the sad turn of the conversation, Tohru remained cautiously optimistic. “Momiji’s breaking away . . .” she said thoughtfully as though there was a piece of the puzzle she hadn’t really considered before.

“Don’t worry about it now,” he said softly, closing the distance between them. “Thank you . . . for at least trying to break the curse.”

She nodded as she leant into him again and hugged him, feeling as though she would never get to do this enough with him.

Reluctantly, Kyō parted from her. “Hey,” he said, “we need to get ready and go.”

She nodded and gathered up her clothing. As she did so, she saw the red and white juzu beads that had been dropped on the floor the other night. She cautiously picked it up and held it in the palm of her hand for a moment.

“Kyō . . .” she murmured, “we should keep it . . . as a reminder of your past,” she said softly. She looked back up at him, her gaze serious. He looked on in a kind of stunned surprise as she took the rosary, putting it on her wrist before looking back up at him.

“If we got rid of them, you might end up regretting leaving these behind. If you’re still leaving tonight, I want to remember you,” she said as she stared into his eyes. “All of you.”

He looked down at her, a stunned expression on his face before he cocked a smile. “Jeez, you’re so sentimental, you know that?” He said, though his heart was trembling. He shook his head lightly. “Fine, keep it if it makes you feel better.”

She nodded and stood up as she finished gathering her things and headed to her room to change.

As Kyō quietly got himself ready he could hear Tohru down the hall and felt his heart warm to think of her so close. He walked into the bathroom to finish getting ready and smiled when he looked in the mirror. He felt brand new in some ways.

In her own room, Tohru worked quickly to finish up, making sure to get every aspect of her uniform prim and straight-looking. She smoothed everything out with her hands, feeling a sense of pride that she’d finally managed to graduate. She took in a deep breath, musing briefly on everything that had happened in her time in this house. She took off her blazer, deciding that she would put it on after she’d finished making breakfast. She took one last look at herself in the mirror before gathering her things and heading downstairs.

She walked into the dining area to set down her things and was surprised to see Shigure sitting at the table, a cup of tea in front of him.

“Shi-Shigure-san!” she cried. “I had no idea you were here. Did you want me to fix you anything in particular for breakfast?” she asked.

Shigure turned and looked at her, giving her a sad smile as he twined his fingers together in his lap.

“Don’t worry about anything special this morning,” he said. “You and Kyō need to be heading off soon, don’t you?” he asked.

She nodded. “If you’re sure you don’t want anything in particular, I might just make some eggs and rice, then.”

“You’re already in your uniform,” he said. He shook his head and looked at the table in front of him. “You don’t need to worry about it right now.”

There was a moment of deep pause before Tohru found the courage to speak. “Hey, Shigure-san,” she said cautiously.

He turned to look at her. “Yes?”

“There’s um . . . something I think you should know,” she said.

He smirked at her. There was something a little too knowing in the way he was smiling that had Tohru blushing.

There was a noise behind her. She jumped slightly and quickly stood aside as she heard Kyō coming down the stairs. He padded over to the dining room and looked over her shoulder as she walked further into the room to let him in.

“Hm? What’s going on?” asked Kyō, noting her blush, before looking over to see Shigure sitting at the table. “Why the hell are you smiling at her like that?” he asked the older man.

Shigure looked between the two of them. “Oh no reason,” he said nonchalantly, his smirk having grown slightly wider as he took another sip of tea.

Kyō grit his teeth and felt himself blushing, too, the bastard’s smile giving away too much: Somehow, Shigure had guessed at last night’s events. He could see it in that knowing smirk of his! He felt a sense of defensiveness rise up within him and moved to slightly block Tohru, as though shielding her.

“Oi,” started Kyō, “she doesn’t need you teasing her!” he said angrily.

Shigure shrugged, letting out a carefree laugh. “I’m not teasing her!” he said defensively. “All I did was smile. She’s the one who wanted to tell me about something,” he finished.

Kyō suddenly stopped, realising what it was she must’ve wanted to say to him. “Ah, yeah, there is,” the young man said, suddenly calm.

Shigure looked over expectantly. He only regarded them in dull surprise when Tohru cautiously reached over to Kyō and hugged him. Shigure’s dull surprise became jaw-dropping stupefaction when Kyō didn’t transform.

She let Kyō go, and as she did, Shigure noticed the rosary on Tohru’s wrist, a sight which only added to his deepening surprise.

“You’re free of the curse . . .” said Shigure in wonder, almost questioningly, as he looked up at Kyō.

Kyō nodded hesitantly.

“But there’s something else bothering you?” he said, noticing Kyō’s reticence to say more, as though debating _what_ exactly to say.

Kyō nodded and let out a sigh as he walked farther into the room. “My bond to Akito is still here,” he said.

Shigure’s expression became blank—so were his thoughts, at that moment, as the confluence of new and contradictory information worked to assimilate itself in his brain. He had no idea what this meant on a cosmic level, but on a practical level, it had none.

Tohru steepled her fingers and nodded. “Ah! I was hoping that this might be enough to get Akito to cancel his plans for Kyō,” said Tohru hopefully.

Shigure’s smiled returned, but now there was a slight hint of meanness to it which both Kyō and Tohru caught. Tohru, for her part, looked surprised at Shigure’s expression, not knowing where the aggression was coming from.

“The bond is still there,” Shigure said flatly. “Kyō’s destiny after graduation is his imprisonment.” He spoke with such a soft finality that it almost surprised Tohru that such a serious statement could be spoken as though the subject were neither here nor there. “No one can go against Akito once he’s made his decision. Not really. Even if Kyō _were_ without the bond, I wouldn’t go against him.”

“But there must be some way-!” she started before Kyō stopped her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“There isn’t,” he said.

“Then we’ll have to convince him!”

“Don’t,” said Shigure, his tone brooking no argument as he looked sharply at Tohru. “You remember the last time you tried to convince him of something? Or the time before that? Akito came at you with a knife that night on the hill after stabbing Kureno and getting away with it. He has more influence than you think he does. You can try to get as many people on your side as you want, but if Akito makes the decision . . . you know, Kyō, that you’ll be just as powerless to resist him as the rest of us.”

Tohru looked over to Kyō who only nodded slightly. “Shigure’s right,” he said to her quietly. “As long as I have the bond, I don’t think I’ll be able to resist.”

Tohru looked helplessly over to Shigure.

“I think you got ahead of yourself,” Kyō continued as he looked at her carefully.

“Still, we should at least tell Yuki,” she said. “We should probably tell Shishō. I can call hi-”

“No,” said Kyō abruptly, “let me be the one to tell Shishō,” he said smiling happily, as though barely able to contain the pride he felt at being able to show his true father that something in his life had changed for the better.

She nodded and stepped around Kyō and into the hall. “I’ll go call Yuki, now,” she said brightly. “I’ll tell him to meet us at the school!”

As she turned to go, Kyō followed her with his gaze, his smile dropping somewhat as he watched her. Despite her peppy disposition, he knew that the fear of letting him go—the fear of him leaving and never seeing him again—was gripping her. Her inner fortitude and indomitable optimism were the only things holding her together. In spite of everything, she was determined not to let go of the hope that she might be able to break the curse for the whole Sohma family. The goal seemed so close yet so far away—but it didn’t matter. She was adamant about going on, and her will had not yet failed her.

Kyō dropped his smile completely as he watched her get on the house phone to call Ayame’s place. He turned back to find the Shigure regarding him with a wry look.

“I thought the two of you were going to tell me that you’d deepened your relationship,” Shigure said as he took a sip of his tea. “And that you’d consummated it.”

Kyō blushed deeply. “No! What makes you think we’d tell you? And how the hell did you know?!”

“Oh, Kyō,” said Shigure, giving the young man a pitying look, “it was obvious after what I heard this morning. I might not have guessed anything untoward at all had I not heard Tohru coming out of your room this morning and going into hers. A short walk of shame for the innocent Tohru.” He smirked. “Or not so innocent anymore, thanks to you,” he added, his smile fading into a stern look.

“It wasn’t like that!” Kyō shouted. “Tohru _is_ innocent! She’s-”

“-been shamed by you,” Shigure finished for him.

“It’s not a shame at all!” Kyō growled in a low voice, his tone defiant yet incredibly defensive.

“Oh no? What makes it any different than an opportunistic, shady guy who takes a woman to his bed he knows he’s never going to see again? You know that’s what you did, right?”

“I didn’t!”

Shigure stood up. “Yes, it is! Or are you telling me last night you thought you stood at being with her freely? Even if she went to your bed willingly, you knew better than to take advantage of her like that. So I’ll ask you again,” he said, leaning in closely, “what makes you any different than a sleazy guy who takes advantage of a woman like that?”

“Because I love her!” Kyō shouted angrily.

There was a pregnant pause as Shigure only regarded Kyō with a cold expression before the latter gathered the courage to speak again, this time softly.

“Because I love her,” he said again, his emotions overtaking him as he looked at the ground. “Because when we were together last night . . . Tohru gave me permission to be selfish just once with her. She trusts me in a way no one else has. I’ve never . . . not once in my whole life been loved as much as I was then.” His voice was tight with feeling as he spoke. “And just once . . . I wanted there to be something in my life that was just for me that I didn’t have to fight for.”

Shigure looked carefully at Kyō. At last, he breathed out a small laugh. “Oh my,” he said, somewhat wistfully but in a way that let Kyō know that he was done pressing him. He looked toward the ceiling. “If you’re really in love with her, then that’s different.” The statement came off as sincere but even so, Kyō could tell there was a hint of sarcasm there. Shigure breathed out a sigh and thought for a moment. “Of course, I know that you love each other,” he said, dropping the pretence of anger. “I saw the way you looked at each other when you came in.” He paused for a moment. “Only lovers look at each other like that.”

Kyō heaved a sigh through his nose.

In the background, they could both hear Tohru getting started on cooking breakfast. The rich aroma of eggs filled the air.

Shigure gave Kyō a stern look again—this time, however, there was something dark in his regard. “If it hadn’t been for that—” he started, “for the fact that she loves you as much as she does,” he paused again as he regarded Kyō with a cold warning, “. . . you’d be dead where you stand. As a general rule . . . you don’t deserve her and you know that. I don’t care what your feelings for her are.” He put a hand on Kyō’s shoulder. “If you had taken her heart with no intention of caring for her . . . I never would’ve forgiven you. Even as things stand . . . I may never forgive you.”

Kyō’s eyes widened slightly as he noted the seriousness in Shigure’s disposition and stood back a bit as he watched Shigure turn around and slowly sit back down at the table in a single fluid motion. Suddenly, something that had been apparent over the last couple of weeks as graduation drew nearer became crystal clear to Kyō—every one of the Sohmas had been turning away from him culminating in last night when he’d been left completely alone. He wasn’t sure, but he thought it was precipitated by the very fact that he was going to be incarcerated for the rest of his life. The life which Kyō had been living was a dream in which Yuki and Shigure had also been living: Some fairy-tale where all the members of the zodiac could be together.

His imprisonment seemed like a shock of reality. The zodiac members seemed to be aligning to take their place in the natural order in reaction to his impending seclusion. Kyō had noticed it. Not only had Yuki and Shigure noticeably distanced themselves from him but so had the gentle Hatsuharu. The one wrench in the whole scenario was the fact that Tohru was a draw for all the other members of the zodiac, and she had fallen in love with Kyō. And that was a cause of great resentment: for as much as they all cared for Tohru, there was a growing sense that they couldn’t stand to be around Kyō. It created a nearly untenable push and pull between them all. Last night’s activities seemed to cement Kyō’s place in Tohru’s life, and Kyō understood that it was this dynamic to which Shigure was reacting.

Shigure took another sip of tea, looking out the open front of the house, staring into the yard and wooded area, saying nothing. Despite the seriousness with which Shigure had spoken before, he was suddenly calm and composed as he said, “I won’t tell anyone, of course. Except for Hatori.” He seemed to pause here, seeming almost angry as he formulated his next words. “Did you take any precautions last night?”

“Precautions?” Kyō asked.

“Is there a chance that Tohru . . . might end up with a living reminder of last night?”

Kyō started at the realisation of what Shigure was asking. He slowly came around the table and sat down at one corner. “I . . .” Kyō started before shaking his head pathetically. “No, we didn’t.”

Shigure merely looked on blankly as he downed his tea like a shot glass and slammed it back down, clearly upset and holding back the full measure of his resentment.

“You mean _you_ didn’t, Kyō,” he said darkly. “You’ve acted irresponsibly,” he said, focusing his attention on his clay teacup.

Kyō remained silent. There was nothing he could say to that. What? That she wanted it? That she wanted him to? There’s no way that Shigure would accept that as an answer.

“If you were a normal kid, I’d tell you to take responsibility. As it is, locking you up might be too good for you.”

Kyō said nothing for a moment. Shigure’s normally permissive nature was taking a back seat to the general resentment all the members of the zodiac harboured in their hearts toward Kyō. At last, Kyō shook his head in resignation. “If I were a normal kid, I would’ve,” said Kyō. “I want to marry her.”

“And what good is that?” asked Shigure. “What you want means nothing. Even if you _had_ asked her, until your curse is broken, it’d never be allowed,” Shigure said. “Maybe not even then.” He remembered Hatori—even he, as a full adult, had needed permission from Akito to get married; and for daring to ask at all, Akito had blinded him in one eye. Shigure sighed. “Until you can speak to her as a free man, you can’t in good faith ask her to marry you. Tohru’s the one assuming all the risk on your behalf since she’s unprotected by a married name if she winds up carrying _your_ child. It’s unbelievable that she would want to marry you, let alone have your baby—you know that, don’t you? And if she marries you while you’re still cursed . . . it’d be the end of her life.”

Kyō nodded silently and breathed out a sigh. “I know,” he said, dejectedly.

“Did she know that you couldn’t promise her anything? Did you tell her that despite your feelings for each other, last night wasn’t a commitment to her?”

“It was up to me whether or not to take that risk,” said a voice behind Shigure. He turned and saw Tohru there, looking embarrassed at having said anything at all. She was standing with some plates and cutlery in her hands.

Kyō quickly stood up and took them from her, giving her a peck on the cheek before he started setting the table for her.

“I’m sorry for interrupting,” she said. “Breakfast is ready.” She looked uncomfortable and started backing out of the room.

Shigure regarded her carefully. Undaunted, he continued his point, addressing her. “Tohru-kun, you told me that you were planning to work right out of school rather than going to college, right? How do you see yourself possibly caring for a newborn and working at the same time without a father around? Not only that, but your child would also be a Sohma and that would give Akito an excuse to insert himself into your life. You’ve seen and heard of what Akito’s done to members of this family who defy him. Tell me, what do you think he would do if he found out that Kyō had a child and that _you_ of all people were his mother? Now don’t get me wrong,” said Shigure matter-of-factly as he poured himself some more tea, “I know what things are like when you’re feeling romantic and passions are running high . . . but there are real-world consequences to this that neither of you’ve thought through.”

She paused hesitantly before speaking. “I’m willing to face them.”

“For Kyō?” said Shigure, genuinely curious and almost surprised.

Tohru nodded. “I may not have known . . .” she started shakily, “or considered everything you’re telling me now . . . but I wouldn’t take it back. Not for anything,” she said as she returned Shigure’s serious look. She was still looking embarrassed, and gradually, her gaze went from focusing on the ground to looking over at Kyō, giving him a kind, reassuring smile.

Shigure looked for a moment from Tohru to Kyō and back again. He blew out a sigh and thought to himself for a moment, then shook his head. “At the very least . . .” he started, “whether or not you do wind up with child, I can continue to employ you here. You can continue to board here, too,” he said.

“Oh no! You shou-”

“It’s an obligation and a privilege,” he said. There was a mood coming over Shigure that was hard to place. While Tohru remained clueless, Kyō sensed it—Shigure was feeling guilty for some reason and he quietly turned his attention to the older man.

While Tohru went back to the kitchen to bring the food, Kyō kept a curious eye on the older man: The fact that Shigure had called it an _obligation_ to help her out only pointed further in direction of Shigure somehow feeling responsible for the situation. He wasn’t about to ask, but Kyō figured it might have to do with that fact that it was Shigure’s idea to bring Tohru under the roof with a couple of teen guys. He would’ve had to’ve known that this was a possibility—though he and Yuki were both upstanding men. _Her_ family members, he remembered, had assumed as a matter of course that she had already debased herself with both Kyō _and_ Yuki—the memory of the accusation boiling his blood even as he sat at the table. He felt angry at himself that in part, her family’s accusation had come true.

He looked over the older man again as he pondered Shigure’s potential role in the events leading up to his being left alone with Tohru last night: Perhaps Shigure had accepted the risk that this exact situation would be the result; and if that were true, Kyō knew that he’d make sure Shigure answered for it.

“You’ll have a job here along with room and board for as long as you need it,” Shigure continued when Tohru returned with breakfast.

“I should still keep my second job, though!” Tohru replied as she served them all. She took a moment and said the blessing as they all started eating.

It was quiet for a moment as they all savoured the food.

“Nonsense,” said Shigure in response to the idea that she should keep her second job. “I’ll be paying you as a working woman. You’ll be doing more chores here which will bring more money in for you.”

“But won’t room and board come out of that?” she asked. “If you’re charging me rent, you shouldn’t-!”

“Consider it compensation,” he said.

“Compensation for what?” she asked.

Kyō watched Shigure carefully while he ate; the incredibly generous offer had Kyō clenching his fist under the table as he felt helpless in his inability to give Tohru a proper establishment and some measure of stability the way Shigure could. Even more now than before, however, Kyō was certain that Shigure was feeling responsible for the situation. _But why would that be?_ he wondered. Had Shigure somehow planned this? He mentally shook his head, dismissing the possibility out of hand. There was no way that Shigure could have known that this _exact_ situation would be the result.

“Compensation on my behalf for Kyō’s recklessness,” Shigure smiled, clearly joking in a way meant to intentionally provoke the young man.

Instead, Kyō looked over at Shigure with an earnest expression of his own. To Shigure’s surprise, instead of angry denial, Kyō nodded curtly to him and said, “Thank you.” He then looked over to Tohru. “If . . . this doesn’t go the way that we’re hoping tonight, I just want you to know that I would’ve married you.”

Tohru started. “Kyō-!”

“Please, just listen. I never would’ve asked that things go the way they have between us. Especially when you have no guarantee of stability in your life. I wanted to say that I’m sorry for that; and that I’m sorry that Shigure has to be the one to take responsibility on my behalf whether or not you end up with child.”

Tohru moved over to sit down next to Kyō and pulled him into a hug, her hands around his shoulders as she looked down at the ground, hiding her head in his chest. He brought his arms around her gently.

“You don’t have to say you’re sorry, Kyō,” she murmured. “I can make decisions, too. You didn’t force me in any way last night. Why should you be the only one at fault? Didn’t you tell me? Didn’t you tell me what the risks were? Didn’t I ask you to pretend that last night could last forever?” She looked up at him. “I’m not sorry at all. And if I had it to do over again, even in the face of what Shigure’s telling me, I’d do it.”

Kyō quirked a half-smile. “You’re too optimistic,” he said gently. “Just because you can persevere through hardship doesn’t mean you should have to.”

“I know. But this is something that I’m willing to take on and be okay with. I love you, Kyō.”

Shigure shook his head, the ghost of a smile on his lips. “Oh my . . . see what you’ve down now?” he murmured to himself.

Kyō looked up from Tohru and eyed Shigure carefully from his periphery.

Shigure noticed him and smiled back. “Oh my, did I say that out loud?” he said like a child caught doing something silly.

Kyō said nothing, keeping his expression blank as he regarded the older man before focusing his attention back on Tohru.

Shigure merely looked pensive for a moment before looking as though he’d made a decision. Moments later, after finishing his meal, he stood up. “I better get to work—lots to do today. You two had better hurry along.”

Kyō helped Tohru to her feet after they’d both eaten. “Right, then. We’re off!” he called as Tohru quickly ran to wash everything up and put away the kitchen before they each gathered their things and headed out moments later.

“See you later!” called Tohru.

Shigure nodded and waved them off, watching as they disappeared down the hill. “Take care!” he called back.

As soon as they were out of sight, Shigure let out a sigh and turned back toward the hallway. Shuffling slowly as he made his way to the phone.

He picked up the receiver, dialled, and waited a moment in silence.

At last, “Hey, Hatori,” he said in a low voice that seemed somewhat slow and subdued. “I was just calling you to let you know that in a few days, Tohru-kun is going to be paying you a visit.”

There was a moment of silence before Shigure spoke again.

“No, it’s actually . . . because of Tohru and Kyō. My grand plan . . . may or may not have backfired.”

There was another moment of silence on his end.

“Well,” said Shigure, his voice growing darker, “it seems that when Kyō and Tohru were left alone last night . . . they gave into _my_ worst instincts and . . . there’s a chance that Tohru may end up expecting,” he said euphemistically.

He nodded as he listened to Hatori.

“Well, it wasn’t my intention that things end up this way . . . but I honestly don’t mind it.”

Another moment of silence.

“I’m not too sure about that. The situation may prove beneficial after all. _Especially_ if Tohru finds herself in a delicate condition.”

After a brief pause, “No, not at all. I _did_ give Kyō a whacking this morning when I confronted them. _Somebody_ had to scare him a little but I eventually went easy on him—I could hardly stay mad at him for giving in to a situation from which I think we’ll all _benefit_. I have to admit, though, that on the one hand I’m furious that they gave in knowing the risks that they were taking. I _do_ blame him more than Tohru.” He sighed. “Then again, I’ve never known Tohru to be impetuous. She always has a plan. I don’t believe she was seduced by Kyō or deceived by the prospects of the current situation in any way. I feel safe in saying that . . . she gave in willingly.” He blew out a breath. “Still, it’s Tohru, and I may have felt more than a little overprotective this morning when I found out. That, and . . . I think the spirit of the animal of the zodiac is reacting negatively toward Kyō, as well—and that’s not helping me see things clearly when it comes to him.”

He paused for a moment.

“Hatori . . . I _know_ it’s my fault for putting them in that position in the first place. What kind of adult leaves two love-stricken teens alone in a house, anyway? The whole thing is very lovey-dovey _._ It’s what I would’ve done if I were in their situation. It’s got me between a rock and a hard place, though.”

There was an even longer silence now as Shigure listened. His playful smile dropped. At last, he nodded.

“I know,” he said, his voice slightly on edge, “but I told you I wasn’t afraid to get my hands dirty. Tohru . . . would be a sad casualty but . . . in the end . . . if I had to sacrifice her, I would. For her part, she seems fine with it. And I think—no, I’m _certain_ —that if she knew what I was up to, she wouldn’t see what I’ve done as manipulation.”

Shigure paused and listened, his expression becoming somewhat blank. Eventually, he shook his head.

“No, I don’t think so. She loves Kyō. They’ve been a couple now for a while. She wasn’t manipulated or tricked into loving him. All I did . . . was set the stage these few years. A lot of other things beyond my control had to’ve gone right in order for things to’ve progressed as far as they have. All I can do is hope that this plays out positively. Even if things do end up going badly, Tohru seems determined to see the situation through rose-tinted spectacles. Not that she’s deceiving herself but she . . . isn’t afraid of hard work the way that I am. That’s probably a large part of the reason she’s as undaunted by her prospects as she is.”

Shigure nodded and listened once more before nodding again.

“Sure, I understand. I’ll send her to you soon,” he said. “Alright, I’ll see you soon. Oh, and real quick before you go” he said abruptly, his playful smile returning, “Kyō’s curse is partially broken,” h _e said as he_ hung up the phone.

***

Tohru and Kyō arrived at school, hand in hand, much to the surprise of many. While it had been clear at least to those in their class that the two had started a relationship some weeks ago, to see them offering each other a romantic gesture so freely and openly was definitely something new. And of course, the fact that she was wearing Kyō’s bracelet only added to the talk chatter in their classroom.

Tohru has quickly spotted her friends standing in the far corner of the class room and went to meet them, both of them looking surprised to see her—though Kyō wasn’t sure why. It was as though something had changed about the way she looked and they were trying to figure something out about her. Kyō wasn’t sure what it meant, but he saw a look pass between the two of them he didn’t like before they each turned once again to regard their friend. He looked nervously between Uotani and Hanajima-san as he followed up behind Tohru. Both of them seemed to be staring daggers at him.

_Oh, God, they’re gonna kill me. Did they guess already?!_ he wondered frantically.

“Oi, Tohru-chan, Yuki-kun said he was looking for you,” Uotani said. “It was weird because I talked to him this morning, and he just happened to mention that he spent the night at his brother’s house. When I asked him who was home last night, he said that he wasn’t sure, but that he thought Shigure had spent the night over at the Sohma compound. ‘Taking care of family business.’”

Uotani’s glare became fiercer as she eyed Kyō darkly. “So, jackass,” she sad to Kyō, “you better not have done anything to take advantage of our Tohru-chan.”

Kyō suddenly felt a flash of anger flood through him. The insinuation that he would _ever_ take advantage of her infuriated him, and he lashed out. “What Tohru and I do is none of your business!” Kyō shouted angrily.

The four of them heard the classroom quiet as chairs shuffled and they all turned back to look at them.

Kyō and Tohru felt themselves blush from head to toe as they turned back.

“Smooth move there, Carrots,” said Uotani flatly as the classroom slowly came back to life. “Just know that if you break her heart after last night, I’ll find a way to come for you when you least expect it. At least tell me that you plan on taking responsibility.”

Kyō opened his mouth in protest but found himself suddenly stopped. His face blanked and he closed his mouth, suddenly seeming uncomfortable and unable to answer.

“How did you find out about last night?” Tohru asked somewhat fearfully. “Kyō didn’t do anything. I was the one that started things and then he . . . we . . .” she trailed off as she blushed and looked toward the floor.

Uotani looked on blankly along with Hanajima as they both processed what they’d just heard.

“Oi, I was joking,” said Uotani said flatly as she looked at Tohru, leaning down to try and catch a look at her friend’s face as she stared toward the ground. “Wait . . . you mean to tell me . . .” she trailed as she stood up straight and fixing Kyō with a look that could kill, “that you actually took _our_ beloved Tohru to your bed . . . ?”

Kyō felt his vision tunnelling as Uotani’s deadly gaze bore into his soul as he realised he was about to die.

“I’m going to kill you,” the blond yankee said, her voice low and deadly, so deceptively sinister, it felt as though the statement itself were a spell that had the power to erase his name from the Book of Life.

Suddenly, an arm grabbed him “Ah! Uotani, Hanajima, we have to get going! We were looking for Yuki and we have to get going,” Tohru said quickly as she pulled him back, yanking him out of the class room. The last thing he saw before he left were Hanajima-san’s eyes fixed on him as she said.

“You cannot run, Kyō. She will not always be able to save you.”

Kyō felt terror flood through him, and he prayed that somehow, Tohru would be able to straighten things out with them on his behalf.

After breathing a sigh of relief, Kyō and Tohru began looking for Yuki, eventually managing to find him attending to his duties as class president, never staying too long in one place as different students called him, in need of his attention.

He seemed incredibly busy as he smiled at the two of them apologetically as a swarm of students gathered around him. He’d already heard from Tohru that morning that they’d both wanted to speak with him, though she wouldn’t tell him why over the phone. Now he wasn’t sure if he’d get the chance to speak to them before the graduation ceremony started but he’d try to force a way forward if he could. He was sorry for not having been there last night but the circumstances of Kyō’s life and actual imprisonment reminded him too much of his own form of captivity brought about by Akito himself. Today was the day when they would lock up the cat—when Kyō would no longer be able to cheat his destiny, and it made Yuki think that perhaps it was time that they _all_ stop deluding themselves about their prospects.

As he looked at Kyō, though, Yuki felt his heart moved to pity. There was a . . . a _personal_ _bitterness_ toward Kyō that he’d always felt, and now it seemed as though that were dissolving away in place of an inherited bitterness—one which was being fostered by the spiritual enmity between the rat and the cat of the zodiac. Yuki felt himself actively trying to fight against such sentiments as they seemed almost childish to him; at the same time, however, the fact that all the members of the zodiac seemed to be taking their place alongside Akito fostered in Yuki an innate sense that he was better than Kyō. Propaganda or not, that niggling sense of his own superiority in the back of his head was still there. He knew that he wasn’t the only one to feel it: All the members of the zodiac would use Kyō as their scapegoat, Yuki included. And he hated himself for it.

Yuki smiled, watching as Kyō and Tohru walked out of the room. They’d let him know that they’d be around to talk to him once he was through—whenever that would be. There was something indescribably innocent and charming about the way Kyō carefully placed his arm around Tohru’s back that had him feeling happy for the two of them.

***

Yuki managed to extricate himself from the crowd some thirty minutes later or so and began hunting through the hallways for Tohru and Kyō. He eventually managed to find them in an otherwise empty classroom except for the four occupants he saw inside—Tohru, Kyō, Hanajima-san, and Uotani-san seemed to be in the middle of a heated argument.

The four of them were standing near the back corner of the room. It looked as though Tohru had intentionally interposed herself between Uotani-san and Kyō, the latter of whom seemed to have been nervously backed against the far wall, away from Uotani-san who seemed bent on doing him some violence (as per usual).

Hanajima-san was standing slightly behind her blond friend and was staring at Kyō with her familiar deadpan gaze though for the first time in a while, Yuki noticed some flicker of emotion in her gaze.

In truth, it seemed to Yuki that the only person really doing any arguing was Uotani-san who seemed to be pissed at Kyō. This too was surprisingly usual—now, however, Yuki sensed that there was a different, more serious tenor to the conversation. The entire atmosphere seemed to point toward this feeling—that somehow this argument was about something important. He could only hear brief snatches of what they were saying but he understood that Tohru was trying to placate her friends. He chuckled to himself as he heard Uotani-san shouting some threats at Kyō. It wasn’t until Yuki got close enough that he was able to hear what was being said.

“. . . to _our_ Tohru, so hey:” Uotani said angrily at Kyō, her voice rising in order to call over Tohru’s head, “Don’t think I won’t make you take responsibility for what you did! Jeez, Kyō, I thought you were better than that! To think someone would have to make you do the right thing!” Her tone, though indignant also seemed to hide a hint of playfulness to it, as though she were joking but she also meant what she said.

Kyō, who seemed as though he’d been ready for a fight, looked as though he’d been suddenly doused with cold water.

“I-It isn’t his fault!” Tohru said. “It was my decision too!” she said pleadingly.

“Oh come on, Tohru,” said Uotani as she lowered her tone, backing off some as she turned to the side, closing her eyes in frustration, “you don’t need to defend him. It’s being too kind to jerks like him that lets horny guys get away with philandering.”

Yuki saw the way Tohru nervously smiled and tried to put a hand up to console her friend.

“I-It’s alright,” Tohru said. “I’m fine— _really_ I am!”

Uotani breathed out a sigh through her nose. ”Really,” she started, “it’s the idea that you’re maturing too quickly that bugs me. You don’t need a guy pressuring you into things that should wait till you’re both married.”

Kyō glared angrily at Uotani for that, suddenly getting some backbone as he said, “Oi! I would never do anything like that!”

“Oh?” she said flatly.

“Never!” he replied furiously. “Tohru—she’s . . . I love her too much ever do anything like that!”

Yuki looked around as in that moment, the context of the conversation became perfectly apparent to him. There was a sharp flash of anger he felt then, and Yuki had to resist the urge to attack Kyō, though the orange-haired teen hadn’t even noticed his approach. Eventually, after much back and forth, an uneasy peace seemed to have been brokered between Kyō and Tohru’s friends. She advocated for Kyō’s character vehemently, eventually convincing Uotani to back down. It was only then that Kyō seemed to notice Yuki. Tohru was still talking with her friends who hadn’t even taken the time to greet him, yet, trying to explain more of the situation to them.

Kyō visibly deflated when he saw Yuki, the former’s face becoming impassive as he looked at him.

“Is it true?” asked Yuki quietly so that only Kyō could hear. “When Shigure and I were gone last night . . . did you . . . did you and Tohru . . .?”

He didn’t have to finish the question.

Kyō held his gaze for a moment before giving an almost imperceptible nod.

Yuki’s gaze immediately went to Tohru-kun. He watched the way she came over and gripped Kyō’s arm as her friends followed her, having finished their discussion.

Uotani-san, for her part, seemed to have been mollified.

Tohru smiled brightly up at Kyō as he took her hand. The look Kyō gave her told Yuki everything he needed to know, and he felt his anger melt away.

She looked over to Yuki, smiling at him kindly, and included him in the conversation. Her friends finally greeted him and they began to bring him up to speed on what their plans were for the day.

Yuki couldn’t help but feel a sharp pang of guilt when Hanajima-san and Uotani-san try to make plans with Kyō—either for lunch today or tomorrow. Kyō’s polite refusals were annoying to Uotani-san, but Kyō’s sad smile in return was about all it took to silence her protests. Something in his look told Uotani that it was not his first choice to beg off going with them, but that it was also a very grave matter that prompted his refusal.

“Trust me, I’d like to go, but today isn’t really a day for celebrating in my family,” he said. “None of my family members are gonna be there. Except for Yuki’s parents and his brother, I mean. And my adoptive father can’t make it.”

Yuki listened as Tohru told her friends that she’d already made plans to spend time with Kyō that afternoon but that she’d be willing to hang out with them tomorrow. Yuki didn’t know why, but as the conversation went on between the four of them, he got the sense that Kyō had become much, much mellower than he had been even two days ago.

He watched as Kyō absent-mindedly wrapped his arm around Tohru’s waist as Tohru did the same with Kyō. Yuki’s stunned expression caught Kyō’s eye and he looked over. Yuki smiled back; he didn’t know why he should be so stunned, but seeing such an open show of intimacy would’ve been believable coming from Tohru but not so much for Kyō. Perhaps something in Kyō really had changed.

On top of everything, Yuki noticed that Tohru was also wearing Kyō’s rosary—an accessory which Kyō had worn ever since he was a child and was so tightly bound up in his curse and his essential identity as the wicked cat that Tohru wearing it _at all_ was a powerful statement. Aside from the romantic implications of such a gesture, it told him instantly why the two of them had called him that morning at all—why they had both wanted to meet up with him.

Eventually, Kyō, Yuki, and Tohru managed to extricate themselves from her friends.

As they waved her goodbye, Tohru waved back, excusing herself again, and walked with Yuki, Kyō trailing behind her.

Once the three of them got a ways away from the classroom and to a more secluded area, Yuki turned to look at the both of them.

“So the curse is broken?” he said with a hint of excitement.

Kyō nodded silently in response to Yuki’s statement. “The bond to _him_ is still there, though,” Kyō added.

Yuki looked on. “How did it happen?” he asked.

Kyō shook his head. “We don’t know. We found out this morning.”

“How?”

“We just hugged this morning,” said Kyō.

Yuki got the sense that there was more to it but didn’t press, figuring that it had to do with . . . last night . . . . They were telling the truth at any rate—they didn’t know what had caused the change. Not that he had a reason to doubt them. At any rate, it was enough that it _had_ happened: The whys and hows didn’t matter at the moment. He tried to gather his thoughts when he noted once again Kyō’s rosary around Tohru’s wrist.

“Even that part of the curse is gone but not the bond,” mused Yuki, indicating the white and red beads.

Tohru only nodded.

“So . . .” started Yuki bitterly, “you’re still in the same mess as you were before.”

“But he’s closer to being free,” said Tohru.

Yuki looked doubtful. “Maybe,” he said. “At any rate, as long as Akito’s involved, I don’t think I can be of any help.”

Kyō nodded. “We just thought you should know,” said Kyō easily. “If you’d been home this morning, you’d’ve been among the first to know the good news.”

Yuki nodded. “I just hope . . . that somehow . . . the two of you will be able to be together without the weight of the curse hanging over you both.”

Kyō nodded gratefully.

“I should get back to the rest of the student council. I have make sure everything’s ready for the ceremony,” he said.

Both Tohru and Kyō nodded as he left.

As they watched him leave, Tohru took Kyō’s hand.

“Whether the curse were hanging over you, or not,” she said to Kyō, “I’d be with you. Always.”

He looked down at her in surprise for a moment before smiling.

He knew it was true.

***

Not long after the conclusion of the ceremonies, Tohru was invited once again by Arisa and Hana-chan to have a meal—along with Kyō and Yuki, Haru and Momiji (both of whom had been in attendance). Despite the risk of seeming rude, Tohru once again managed to beg off going, wanting to spend the rest of the day with Kyō. She held off on telling them that Kyō was leaving as it only would’ve prompted more questions.

To the surprise of everyone, as Kyō and Tohru were leaving the school grounds, diplomas in hand, they reached for each other and held hands as they left.

Uotani-san stood next to Hanajima as the pair of them watched them leave.

“My, my,” started Uotani-san, “Kyō must really feel something for her if he’s being so public about it. Then why do you think . . . ?”

“Perhaps there’s some circumstance that prevents him from marrying her?” said Hanajima-san. “You remember how sad he seemed when you suggested he had simply taken advantage of Tohru? Do you recall how . . . it seemed almost as though something were preventing him from taking action?”

“What?” started Uotani, her voice taking on a flat, incredulous tone, “You mean like some kind of curse?”

Hanajima looked at Kyō, trying to get a bead on him. After a moment of silence, “I’m not sure, but something’s not right about their situation.”

“You mean he’s doing something?” asked Uotani.

Hanajima looked straight ahead. “No . . . this is something beyond the power of either of them to control. I don’t know what hangs over him, but I worry that it spells disaster for the both of them. I can’t say I understand, but it’s something only our beloved Tohru would be able to help him with.”

Uotani only looked on, saying nothing as she silently pondered the situation, watching till the two were gone.

“Tohru . . .” Kyō started slowly as they made their way back to Shigure’s home, “you should’ve gone with your friends.”

“But . . . if I had, would you have wanted to go?” she asked

He shook his head. “I need to get ready for tonight. Besides, they were inviting Yuki and Haru, too. They wouldn’t’ve wanted me around. Let them celebrate.”

“Then it’s good I decided to go with you,” she said.

Kyō clicked his tongue. “It just makes me feel like I’m already disrupting your life. You should be out having fun with your friends, not hanging around with some sad sap.”

Tohru looked at him carefully and took his arm softly. “And what about what _I_ want?” she asked smilingly.

He looked at her for a moment and waited for her to continue.

“Kyō . . .” she started slowly, “I can have lunch with my friends tomorrow. But you’re leaving tonight: Why would I leave you when you’re the man I love?”

He gently brought her closer and leant down to kiss her. It lasted for only a moment before he parted and smiled down at her.

“You’re everything that I could want,” he said. “I just can’t help worrying about you, too. I want you to have a good life, Tohru.”

She smiled somewhat sadly and leant in to hug him before they eventually continued down the road.

When they finally reached the house they were surprised to find Shigure just closing up as though he were going somewhere.

Tohru quickly broke with Kyō and ran up to the older man. “Ah! Shigure, are you leaving?” she asked.

He turned around and regarded both of them. “Oh, it’s you two. I would’ve thought you’d be out with friends,” he said.

Kyō shook his head.

“Ah,” began Shigure, “so it’s Kyō you want to be around.” He smiled to himself and unlocked the door, letting them in. “I know Yuki’s going to be gone for some time. Ayame and their parents are going out for a celebratory lunch.”

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“To the Sohma compound,” he said. He let out a heavy sigh. “I have to help make preparations for tonight.”

Tohru nodded and noticed the way Shigure wouldn’t meet her eyes when he spoke.

“Have the place to yourselves,” he said in a low, subdued voice. “Do what you’re going to do.”

“Ah!” began Tohru, blushing profusely, “we weren’t going to-”

“Don’t tell me. I don’t need to know. This is your time—spend it wisely,” he said as he walked down the path to the main road.

Tohru watched him leave, feeling somewhat uneasy before Kyō surprised her when he called her.

“Tohru, you should come inside,” he said.

She nodded carefully and followed him in. She took off her shoes and set down her bookbag just inside the door. When she turned around, she saw Kyō giving her a look that flipped her stomach.

They were alone in the house again. Her heart was hammering as she felt the tension between the two of them tighten.

“What do you want to do?” asked Kyō.

She shook her head. “What do most people do to celebrate graduation?” she asked in a bid to calm her nerves. “I’d make lunch but it’d just be for the two of us. It doesn’t seem like the time for a celebration, though.”

“What do you want?” he asked.

“I’m not feeling hungry.”

“Neither am I,” he said.

She walked over to him and simply put her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug.

“I’ve always wanted to do this—I’ve always wanted to hug you like I’d never let you go.”

Suddenly overwhelmed by love and desire, he pulled her even more tightly into the hug. “Tohru . . . you’re so warm,” he murmured. “I never thought I’d be able to hold you tight like this. I never thought . . .” he trailed off.

She smiled up at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “We only have a little time left, Kyō, and I want to spend it with you.” She leant up on her toes and kissed him. He met her kiss and gently pulled away as he stared down at her.

“Tohru,” he murmured as he caressed her face, “I want to make love to you.”

“Kyō . . .” she started timidly.

“Will you let me?” he asked as he drew nearer.

Her face flushed a deep red as desire touched her heart. He looked down at her intensely and cupped her face with his hand, guarding his silence for a moment before speaking.

“Only if you’re sure,” he asked in a low voice. “I don’t want to if it’ll hurt you. You were sore this morning, weren’t you?”

She nodded her head shyly. “B-but . . . it doesn’t any more. I . . .” She trailed off, not needing to say any more.

“Do you want to then?” he asked, his voice dark with want.

She nodded shyly. “Y-Yes . . . I . . . I do want that.”

“Say the words, then,” he whispered in her ear.

She blushed even more deeply and nodded as she looked into his eyes. “I . . . I want you to make love to me,” she said. She had never felt such want for anybody as she had for him. “I love you,” she whispered.

He smiled looked down at her before leaning in to kiss her again.

“If you want to . . . nothing would give me greater joy,” he said softly.

She smiled up at him, and carefully ran her hands under the collar of his shirt.

***

As Shigure walked down the steps, he spotted Hatsuharu and Momiji coming up to meet him.

“Ah! Good afternoon!” he called.

“Good afternoon!” called Momiji.

“Oi!” waved Haru.

Shigure smiled as they reached him. “Going to pay Tohru a visit?” he asked.

“Actually, we were going to see Kyō. Momiji mentioned that it might be a good idea.”

Shigure gave Momiji a heartless look. “That was a bright idea. Now that you’re free of the curse, it must give you a very different perspective.”

“I noticed it when we were all at graduation,” started Momiji. “Everyone was talking to Tohru but gravitating away from Kyō.”

“Oi,” started Haru, looking at Shigure, a stern look on his face, “have you been sensing it?” he asked.

“Sensing what?” asked Shigure ironically.

“Suddenly . . . I don’t want to be around Kyō anymore,” he replied. “I wasn’t even really noticing it at first until Momiji pointed it out. It’s not that I suddenly hate Kyō, it’s that suddenly . . . I have a hard time remembering that I’m supposed to remember him. Like . . . our friendship has been forgotten. It’s not in my heart anymore.”

Shigure looked on for a second then smiled. “No, you’re not the only one who’s feeling it. I suspect that it’s more to do with Akito strengthening his bond with Kyō. Or trying to. And the more that that negative bond exists between Akito and Kyō, the more it exists between us and Kyō, too. Akito . . . is our god, after all. What he says goes.”

Momiji looked on, somewhat stunned for a moment before smiling reservedly. “We should be going,” he said, looking to Shigure then Haru.

Hatsuharu nodded. “We’ll be at the house.”

Shigure stopped them, putting up a hand in front of him. “I wouldn’t do that. The lovebirds are going to want some time to themselves.”

Haru looked on curiously. “They can’t be that involved.”

Shigure smirked. “If it were your last night with Rin-chan . . . what would you be doing?”

Haru looked on passively for a moment before nodding. “Right, Momiji . . . let’s go get something to eat.”

“Be back here around seven,” said Shigure.

Haru and Momiji nodded as they turned and left, Haru raising a hand and waving goodbye without looking.

***

Kyō groaned as he sank his cock into her for the second time in as many days.

Tohru cried out and wrapped her arms around his back as he arched up over her, the pleasure taking him as he closed his eyes, sucking in breath as he savoured the sensation of entering her—the sensation of her warm, fleshy heat surrounding his length.

He let out a shaky breath and forced himself to look down at her through half-lidded eyes, pleasure clearly reflected in them, as he began to thrust his hips in and out of her.

“Am I doing it right?” he asked.

She nodded intently and cried out, moaning as he began to pump.

He took it slowly at first, needing to draw out the pleasure as he pulled almost all the way out before pushing back in again.

“Tohru!” he groaned as he closed the distance between them, holding himself just above her on his forearms, “Tohru, I wanna take more from you,” he murmured.

“Yes! Take me! I’m yours . . . ! I’m yours . . . !” she cried.

She moaned out louder as the feeling of being stretched by his cock, the feeling the head of his erection buried deep within her pussy, satisfied a need primal need within her.

“I want to come inside you,” he whispered.

“Yes!” she whispered as he kissed her lips lightly.

“Yes . . .” she said again as he continued to kiss her.

She felt tears prick her eyes as she focused hard on just how deep he was inside her. It felt to her like he was seeking her out, knowing her secrets. The thought that he would leave his seed deep inside her as he had last night thrilled her, and she raised her hips to meet his thrusts.

As they went on, Kyō’s room was filled with the sound of Tohru’s pleasured cries as Kyō plunged into her, again and again.

He grunted as he continued to rock deeply as Tohru wrapped her legs around his waist, clutching his back and threading her fingers through his hair as he continued to thrust.

“Kyō!” she cried out softly. “Kyō . . . !”

The pleasure he gave her sank deep within her core and spread from the point of their joining all throughout her body as she felt herself reaching her peak.

Kyō moaned out in pleasure as she murmured his name again and again. He thrust faster, feeling needed, wanted, and desired all at the same time. He kissed her lips as his cock felt as though it were melting into her as their lovemaking continued.

Tohru gave a loud cry as she shattered beneath him, moaning longingly and begging for more as pinpricks of pleasure suffused through her body as her orgasm spread through her like currents of ecstasy that had her whole body rocking, revelling in the sensation as her delicate petals clamped around his hard length.

Kyō buried his face in her neck, growling as he reached the edge of his limit.

“Tohru! I-I’m gonna come!” he said, his voice strained.

Tohru held him tightly, her legs clenching him as she cried out softly, offering her throat, arching against him completely, giving herself to him forever as she cried out.

“Kyō . . .” she whispered through the haze of her pleasure, “i-inside me!” she finished in an emphatic yet soft plea for him.

He buried himself deeply and roared as he erupted within her. His whole body seemed to cry out as lust and euphoria screamed through his veins as he pushed in, pulsing deeper and deeper within her as he offered her his essence. He held her tightly, his arms beneath her as his hands clutched her shoulders, gripping her to him possessively as they both fell into the throes of wonder. Kyō lost himself as his cock continued to throb within her even as he lost the ability to feel where it ended and her pussy began.

Neither of them wanted to stop. Kyō thrust through their pleasure, feeling a raw, primal urge to give her more.

Tohru held onto him tightly, calling his name softly as though it were a mantra. He was working hard for her—to prolong her pleasure as long as he could. Tears pricked her eyes as she felt the added wetness of his seed as he continued to pour into her, its gentle heat a reassuring presence. Never had she felt as though she loved him as much as she did just then. She didn’t know if every time they made love it would feel like this, but the sensations were still so brand new to her. He made her feel like a virgin again, their lovemaking was so innocent, her love for him so pure. She gave this to him and only to him.

At last Kyō stopped, holding her tightly, as he breathed rapidly, trying to catch his breath hearing Tohru’s tiny little gasps beneath him as she struggled to do the same.

He took his weight off her, holding himself aloft on his forearms and looked down at her.

The way she looked beneath him, huffing and gazing at him with such love had his lips meeting hers in a passionate kiss that neither of them wished would ever end.

When at last he broke away, he felt himself stunned into silence. There was nothing he wanted to say or do at that moment other than contemplate her beauty.

“Can we stay like this for a bit longer?” she asked softly.

He nodded. “Of course.” He could already feel himself softening, but he wasn’t about to pull out. She was like a lifeline to him, and he wanted to stay connected to her for as long as he could.

He nuzzled her neck and kissed her cheek and down her throat as she moaned, arched her neck, and closed her eyes.

“Kyō . . . I never knew I could love someone as much as I love you. I didn’t know it would be this way. I didn’t know that I could want someone—want to be . . . part of them . . . the way I am with you . . . right now.” She clung to him as he looked down at her. It seemed as though they were falling into each other’s eyes. “I . . . I feel so selfish,” she said as she rubbed her hands over his chest and waist, wanting to feel him and memorise his flesh. “We’re not even apart and all I can think is that I want more of you.”

She wrapped her arms around him and he let himself fall lightly against her.

“You have my heart and soul,” he murmured. He caught her lips in a possessive kiss. “I’d give up everything if I could spend the rest of my life in your arms like this.”

She nodded and leant up to kiss him.

Gradually, they pulled apart and held each other for a time.

It was too much to think about their eventual separation, and it wasn’t long before their kisses became heated again, before their touches were filled with longing, and their hearts were tense with a yearning for each other in both the flesh and spirit.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in a cycle of lovemaking punctuated by brief rests filled with longing kisses and tender caresses. When they touched, it was as though they could never have enough of each other.

Kyō spent his time inside her core just as a pious man would at a holy site, worshipping her—worshipping the temple of her body with his own flesh and each time ending with a climax, offering himself to her at the altar of their mutual pleasure. Like a man with nothing to lose, he poured himself into her each time, needing to feel that connection—needing to feel in his soul that she really was his forever; her legs clenching him, her pleas for him to do so only encouraging him as he planted himself within her again and again, filling her with the bloom of white heat, born from his core to her womb as they abandoned the world to know only each other. Nothing else mattered to him but her. Their souls were knit with each other, and the bond between them was a force which neither of them could disobey.

Soon, it was about three in the afternoon, and warm sunlight spilt through Kyō’s window as they languidly held and caressed each other, having just woken from a good sleep. Neither of them had spoken yet. It was enough that they were simply together. To talk about anything mundane . . . would’ve seemed so trivial.

Kyō was through with trivial. What could he say to her that she didn’t already know about him? Plenty, actually, but that was for another time. He didn’t dare dream about the future and yet part of him dearly wanted to. He wanted to stake a claim on her. He wanted her to know that he was planting his flag, in spite of the odds, firmly in her camp. He wanted more than anything to believe that she would end Akito’s hold over him. As long as he was living this dream with her, though, he might as well commit. He wanted to bind himself to a future with her. With that in mind, he drew her close and kissed her.

“Tohru,” Kyō murmured as he caressed her hair, “you’re my best friend. There’s nobody on Earth I could see myself loving as much as you. I want to be with you forever. I want to hold you close to me and never let you go. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted.” He took a deep breath as he caressed her face. “Marry me,” he whispered.

Tohru’s lip trembled and she leant into him as she covered her mouth with her hand.

“Yes,” she said, crying happily through her tears, “yes, of course I’ll marry you!” she exclaimed quietly.

His arms came around her, tightly and protectively, as he held her. He turned her so that he was partially over her. His lips came down over hers as she hugged him to her.

He parted from her and fell back slightly as Tohru looked over at him happily and rubbed his chest with her hand. She let her hand run down his abs, beneath the covers, lower and lower till she reached his cock. She felt at the orange hairs around the base and touched them a bit before gently rubbing his length.

He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Tsh! If you keep doing that, you’ll wake it up again,” he said in a voice that sounded annoyed yet wavered a bit at the sensation.

“Do you not want to?” she asked.

“It’s not _that_ . . . I thought you might need a rest.”

She smiled and carefully leant over him with her upper body, weakly pinning him. She kissed him deeply as she continued to stroke him.

“Would you like me to try riding you this time?” she asked

As if in answer to her question, she felt his cock become erect in a matter of seconds.

Kyō let out a shuddering breath. “Tohru . . . .” he breathed out as she gently climbed over him. He felt himself gulp as lust filled his vision—the sight of her was truly a marvel to behold. He saw her full-on, her breasts, her luscious torso, the canvas of her beautiful skin, the joining of her thighs, her netherlips glistening with the pearly remnants of what he’d given her last night and this afternoon—she was perfect. How in the world was it possible that she was his and his alone?!

“Kyō,” she whispered as she rubbed her opening along the length of his cock, “in my heart of hearts . . . I want to have your child.”

Kyō felt his cock throb against her folds, almost aching to get in. “Tohru-!” Lust poured through his veins as he let his hands carefully rest on her hips.

He looked into her eyes: she seemed so vulnerable, so loving.

“Do you think that’s smart?” he asked through the fog of lust. “We’re still just kids,” he finished.

“It was just a thought that crossed my mind,” she said. “We haven’t been taking precautions anyway, so it’s not like there’s a difference. It was just . . . that thought was in my heart.” She paused for a moment. “I also want to say, though . . . that . . . you’re not a child anymore. You are a man. Today. And yesterday. And I’m not a child anymore. You’re facing a frightening situation and doing so bravely. Maybe it is just selfish of me, but I half wished that I would have part of you out here with me, able to live freely. If there’s one thing I know about myself it’s that I can survive. I know I can.” As she said this she reached down to caress his cheek.

He caressed hers in return as his other hand slid down her waist.

Kyō looked off to the side for a moment and said nothing.

“I told you before that I was fine with whatever happened, but in my heart of hearts . . . I feel like I would want to have your child. I just wanted you to know that,” she said.

She was silent again as Kyō seemed to take that in.

“In my heart of hearts?” Kyō asked himself, still looking off. After another moment, he looked back up into her face. “In my heart of hearts . . . I wanna put a baby inside you.”

She nodded understandingly.

“I wanna make a family with you,” he whispered hoarsely.

Kyō was positively throbbing as Tohru carefully took his length and balanced herself over him. She placed the tip at her entrance and moved down carefully, making sure the head was knocked inside her entrance as she sank down on him.

Kyō looked on with stuttering breath as his cock disappeared within her as she took all of him, all the way down to the base. Watching the act was the most erotic thing he’d ever witnessed: actually being able to see himself slide into her, take her—it truly felt like a marvel, he thought! Her walls were slick with his previous offerings as her walls snugly gripped him. He groaned as she gyrated slightly. Her pussy felt as if it had taken his shape and been moulded exactly for his length. His erection felt at home every time he experienced the sensation and he gasped in wonder.

“Tohru!” he groaned as she began to ride him, “Tohru . . . you’re such a miracle!” he growled.

Tohru let out little moans as she began to move on him a little faster, loving the feeling of being more in control of their rhythm.

Kyō clenched his eyes shut as Tohru rode him harder, placing her hands on his chest and running them up and down his body wanting to feel his pecs and abs as her own pleasure increased. This felt so very different from the other times to her—something about the way she was able to grind against him with each thrust rubbed her the right way so that she felt her pleasure mounting at her apex quickly. She watched Kyō who was staring at her with an air of wonder, and she smiled down at him.

“Kyō!” she cried, “you feel so good! You make me feel-! You make me-!” The pleasure was too intense for her to finish her sentence as she bore down on him harder, her cries coming out louder and louder.

Kyō was in paradise! It was a miracle to him that any woman would ever take as much pleasure in his body—in his cock—as Tohru was. He felt somehow satisfied and complete as a man that he had been able to satisfy her, that he was able to bring her pleasure as she rode him seemingly with abandon. Her cries, the look on her face as she moved up and down on his cock, added to the wonder he was feeling in his chest. It was incredible to share his body with her in a way that gratified her.

He began grunting and panting slightly as he felt himself harden within her almost painfully. He kept his eyes open, needing to see more of her, needing to see the way she took pleasure in his cock, the way it made her feel to ride him and take all of him. He wanted her to _feel_ him. He felt so bestial, so primal. He wanted her to _feel_ him! He just _wanted_ her with a carnal passion he’d never felt before! It was any guys dream to be able to satisfy a woman sexually, but here he was not only with just any woman but with the woman he _loved_ —the woman he dreamt about _marrying,_ her cries of pleasure and the blush on her face a constant reaffirmation of the fact that he was pleasing her. 

“Kyō!” she cried softly, “Kyō!” Her breaths shuddered as she rode him faster. She looked almost ashamed of the pleasure but at the same time couldn’t stop herself. “Kyō! You’re gonna make me . . . ! I-I’m going to . . .! Kyō!”

Her cries above him touched the beast inside and he felt himself break loose! He snarled and gripped her hips forcefully as the animal within him ordered him to mate—to _rut_.

“Tohru!” he shouted as he clenched his eyes shut. “Come!” he begged. “Come with me! I wanna feel you come!” he jutted his hips up in time to her rhythm meeting her thrusts with his own, setting a hard pace as he moved beneath her. It wasn’t long before his hips were faltering in their movements as each stroke brought him closer and closer to coming, the pleasure so intense he could barely hold the tempo. The tip of his erection felt incredibly sensitive and Kyō was certain he was about to go off at any moment as he felt it nestling in her folds.

Tohru cried out above him as his thrusting beneath her began in earnest and she pushed down hard, grinding her crotch against his. Kyō found himself letting out strained cries of pleasure as the head of his cock pushed deeply against the snug opening of her womb, swishing around inside her warmth as her hips gyrated.

Tohru felt herself flushing with heat as she watched Kyō beneath her, gasping with pleasure as she continued to move. She felt amazed that she had this power over him—over the both of them, that she could make him lose his control as much as he could make her lose hers. She continued her movements, wanting to bring them both to orgasm, moaning for him as his hard length stretched her wonderfully, wanting his cock to fill her completely.

He looked up at her and watched her full beauty on display, from her face to her breasts, all the way down to where he saw his erection was fully sheathed within her.

His hands on her hips helped her as she moved in that grinding motion faster and faster, her cries becoming more and more frantic and sounding like music to his ears.

Watching her as she moved, she became something like a dervish as the pleasure building within her became euphoric!

“Kyō!” she cried out loudly, “Kyō!” she cried again, relishing the sensation of his cock moving in and out of her as it touched her core, rubbing her deepest folds. “You make me . . . you make me love you more!” she said in a hushed whisper. “Kyō, I’m going to-! I’m about to-!”

Kyō watched her become speechless as she rode the brink of ecstasy and looked down again to the place of their joining, bucking up harder, needing to make her come. He both watched and felt her as her pussy suddenly clamped around him as she came on his length.

She let out a shout as pleasure burst through her, leaving tiny crescent marks on his chest from her fingernails. She felt herself clenching around his erection, feeling the incredible carnal connection, born of love, that had her riding a euphoric high! She would never tire of wanting to feel his cock inside her, of wanting to share that connection, of wanting to feel this pleasure that only he could give her.

“Kyō!” she cried as the throws of passion swept over her, her movements coming faster. She wanted him to join her in her state of bliss.

“Yes, come for me!” he ground out through clenched teeth, feeling pride and satisfaction fill his chest. He began trembling, letting out a sharp gasp as it felt as though her pussy were sucking him. “Tohru!” he roared. The sensation was incredible! He groaned and threw his head back, his hands gripped her hips and pulled her down harder as his thrusts met hers.

“Tohru!” he growled as he submitted to the pleasure of her pussy all around him. He was at the edge in seconds. “Tohru!” he ground out again as the world contained only her and the pleasure she gave him. He could feel the tension in his cock about to let go as he felt himself grow harder, “Tohru! I-I’ve gotta c-come inside you!”

There was no time for her reply as Kyō roared in ecstasy as the tension in his cock unleashed and he began to pulse within her, pulling her hips down on him hard as jets of seed shot through his cock and into her waiting warmth.Tohru moaned and pressed down on him, grinding herself against him, following the lead of his hands, feeling as the head of his erection, nestled deep against the entrance to her womb, unloaded itself.

She watched his face intently, the way his head was tilted back and his eyes were clenched shut. His mouth was open slightly as with each pulse of his cock he let out a stifled shout of pleasure. Sweat had formed on his forehead. He was so handsome—his face, the way he looked as he came, his orange hair—it all came together. This Kyō she was seeing now was the primal man. It was Kyō holding nothing back, unable to hide from her, unable to hide his lack of control as he had an orgasm inside her. She like this Kyō. She adored this man!

“Tohru!” was all he could shout as his heat continued to pour into her, flooding her as the need to spend every last drop within her became his whole purpose for those few seconds.

Tohru continued to grind against him, continuing to cry out herself as the remnants of her own orgasm ebbed away, the sensation of silky warmth within her comforting her as it had all afternoon.

Kyō opened his eyes in the wake of the latest phantasmagasm as the sensations ebbed away to find Tohru looking down at him adoringly, breathing hard, just as he was.

She was quiet for a moment. Then, “I love you Kyō,” she whispered.

Kyō continued to catch his breath for a moment before speaking as he reached up with his hand to caress the side of her face. “Tohru . . . you’re everything I have,” he said longingly. “I love you,” he murmured.

In her eyes, he could see himself looking at her with the same look of loving adoration. God, how he loved her so much. There was no doubt about it—he was head over heels for her. All he could think about was how he wanted more of this.

She collapsed over him and he merely held her as she seemed to need some rest. So did he.

As they relaxed, Kyō felt hyperaware of the two of them, physically. She was resting on his chest, and his cock was still inside her. It was stupid, but just being inside her was a connection he wanted forever.

He did nothing as he felt himself deflate. He wanted to stay inside her as long as he could, but eventually, he felt it fall out naturally. Physical intimacy on this level was a whole new world for him. Her head was cradled on his chest and he gently threaded her hair as she had done to him so many times. His heart was full in a way that he never thought that it could be. They had shared their bodies with each other—it was incredible to him.

He kissed the top of her head lightly. Tohru herself moaned slightly and moved off of him, but laughed slightly without opening her eyes as Kyō drew her close, as though unable to be away from her even a little bit. Her presence was reassuring to him just as his was to her. She fell into a sleep as he watched her. It was an exhausted, satisfied sleep she sank into that made her seem even more darling and precious to him. As Kyō watched her doze, he felt a certainty that if he were to die right then, he’d be able to leave the world with this day in his eyes, feeling sure that what he had in front of him—his sweet Tohru—was the taste of Heaven he’d always longed for.

He’d finished high school, he’d found the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, he’d suddenly found within him the motivation and the deep-seated desire to become responsible. He wanted to work for her. He wanted to support her. He wanted to build a domestic life with her. He wanted to help her fulfil her dreams, whether it meant going to college or not. He wanted to be there for her and give her a life that was as fulfilling to her as she was to him. In his mind, he’d become a man—though he had much further to go. And now he’d never get the chance. He’d instead be infantilised for the rest of his life. He’d be a prisoner. He’d never have the chance to be anything to anybody.

It spat in the face of just how far he’d come since he was that scared, angry child who was left the blame for his mother’s death. So many things he’d accomplished . . . if time would only stop right now, he wouldn’t have to give it all up. He didn’t have to fight to earn his right to be with Tohru—with her, everything was easy. She quelled his anger and resentment, and he felt whole with her.

He stared up at the ceiling as he heard Torhu sleeping next to him.

_You accomplished a real milestone today and last night_ , he thought to himself. He looked over at Tohru and smiled. He felt pride at the fact that he’d had sex. He didn’t know why, and as he looked at Tohru, he felt as though he shouldn’t think that, yet nevertheless it was there in the back of his mind. He felt possessive of her, as though he’d staked a claim on her. He just felt so relieved that she was his, that he could just be . . . naked with her—not even having sex. It gave him an odd kind of thrill in the pit of his stomach that she was allowed to look at him as much as he was allowed to look at her. It was comforting to him in a way that they were able to share the curiosity they had about each other’s bodies.

He felt strong when he was with her. He’d dealt with so many insecurities but the fact that she was willing to stay with him and accept him even after seeing his monstrous form meant more to him than she would ever know. The fact that he’d been able to save her mother but hadn’t done so out of fear that he would transform killed him. Her dying words, that she would never forgive him, haunted him. He didn’t know how, but Tohru had wanted to stay with him, anyway. He had promised her mother that he would protect her. It was an enormous responsibility but one which he took on gladly. Again, his thoughts returned to this coming evening and how he would have to leave her. He would be breaking his promise to Kyoko. Tohru would be alone in the world.

Her quiet breathing next to him dissipated those thoughts, and he looked over again. He remembered the words she’d said to him last night.

_You’re here!_ she’d cried.

_That’s right,_ he thought. “I’m here,” he said quietly as he looked at her. “I’m here.”

At that moment, it was the only thing that mattered to him.


	3. Confessions of The Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here, we see Tohru and Kyō in a brief respite as they converse in the afterglow of the evening. As time goes on, however, the hour of Kyō's departure finally arrives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy . . . what's the family to do now that it's all out in the open about Tohru and Kyō?

Tohru awoke slowly and felt the late afternoon sunlight filling the room. She could tell it was some time around five o’clock or so, and she felt at once lazy and at the same time gratified. She smiled as her eyes slowly fluttered open. She had never felt this at ease before, and the sight of Kyō looking just at ease as he read next to her placed an odd comfort in her heart. He looked to her as though he’d been sleeping for the same amount of time. She reached out and caressed his face, letting him know she’d awoken. He smiled without looking at her and put his book down. He turned and regarded her tenderly as he breathed out a sigh of happiness. It was getting on to late afternoon-evening time.

She watched as he stretched, feeling almost as though he were putting on a show for her as he tensed his muscles and arched, letting out a satisfied hum. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught her checking him out, and he couldn’t help but laugh, a sense of both pride and bashfulness coming over him.

“You like to look?” he asked.

She blushed deeply and averted her gaze.

“Oi, you can look if you want,” he said matter-of-factly. “We’ve crossed that line quite a few times today already.”

“I know, but I still feel like I’m getting used to this,” she said. “I-I’d never seen a man naked before last night. It doesn’t feel real to me yet. It keeps feeling like a dream.”

“But it’s not a dream,” he said slowly as he pulled her flush against his torso. “That’s the miracle of all of this.”

She nodded and smiled, taking a moment to relax in his arms.

“Hey,” he started slowly, “we should probably have a bath. I need to start getting ready for tonight.”

Tohru said nothing but nodded, clearly distressed as she sat up, letting the covers fall about her waist.

“Hey . . .” he said as he sat up, too. He gingerly cupped her face with his hand and turned her to face him. “It’s going to be okay. We _will_ have a future together. I don’t know when, but I can promise you that. There aren’t a lot of things in life that are certain, but one thing I’m sure of is you.”

“Kyō . . .” she trailed as she looked at him. “I promise you, I will free you!” she said insistently.

“You already have,” he smiled. “Whether you break the curse or not, you’ve already freed me in so many ways. I have hope now, thanks to you.”

She reached over and pulled him into a kiss.

When they parted, they were left smiling at each other.

“We should have a bath, though—you’re right,” she said as she stretched, letting out a sigh as she sat up on the edge of his bed.

“Are you okay?” he asked, worry tinging his voice.

“It’s alright. I just feel sore a bit,” she said.

“I was too rough with you,” he said, clicking his tongue and sitting up to put an arm around her.

“It didn’t feel too rough at the time. I felt fine before.”

“You’re too nice. I should’ve been more careful,” he said.

“Well, next time-” she cut herself off quickly. There wouldn’t be a next time for a while, she thought.

He noticed too, the way she’d stopped herself. He kissed her cheek and said, “Next time, I’ll be sure to be more careful.”

Tohru felt tears pricking the edges of her eyes and nodded. “Yes . . . next time . . . .”

She let out a tiny yelp of surprised when Kyō stood up fully naked, reached down, and picked her up.

She let go of the sheets she’d been holding around her and wrapped her arms around Kyō’s neck as he carried her to the bathroom. He set her down carefully and ran the water till it became warm.

He took care washing her, making sure she was in no discomfort as he ran his hands down her back and through her hair before bathing himself. Tohru watched him as he did so, feeling almost like a spy but refusing to be embarrassed by his body. She also couldn’t help that the sight of him washing himself thrilled her, and he smiled her again when he caught her admiring his form.

He drew a hot bath for the both of them, and once again, he picked her up and carried her into the tub.

Tohru had never felt this way in her life. Her whole existence had been spent with things being taken away from her, one by one. She had already shouldered more than she should’ve had to. From living in a tent rather than with family members because it was too much for them to care for her, to her losing her father and then her mother, to now facing the prospect of losing Kyō as well . . . it was too much. It was perhaps this determination—to never lose a piece of herself to something preventable—that had her promising to herself again and again that she would free Kyō. Not just Kyō but _all_ the members of the zodiac. And then here was Kyō, doing what he could in these last hours to make sure that he was taking care of her. It’d been too long since she’d felt taken care of so she relished the sensation of stability he was giving her now.

As she sank into the hot water, she let out a sigh of contentedness as all the muscles in her body seemed to need the relaxation that this offered her. They sank into a comfortable silence with each other. Tohru sat on his lap crosswise, draping an arm around his neck him as she leant her side against him. As the hour drew nearer and evening twilight began to tint the horizon, Kyō’s chest tightened with the knowledge that they had to stop what they were doing.

“Tohru . . .” he said in a low voice, “this time with you . . . has been like a dream. And now it feels like it’s time to wake up.”

“It’s no dream, though,” she murmured. “It’s just like you said—this is real. That’s the best part. That it hasn’t been a dream.”

He was silent for a moment as he held her, the warm water lapping around them. He tilted his head and stared up at the ceiling.

“I really told you all that much about my early life, did I?” he asked.

“I heard some of it from Shishō,” she said. “I know that things were very difficult for you after your mother’s death.”

Kyō nodded slightly. “Did I ever tell you how I came to live with him?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I assumed some of it, but you never told me the whole story.”

He nodded slightly. “I never told you about my mother.”

“You told me she died . . . and I remember you telling me that she always used to check to make sure that your rosary beads were on your wrist.”

He nodded, acknowledging her good memory. “She never saw me. She was always afraid of the real me, and even though she always told me that she would love me no matter what, I knew it was a lie, or she wouldn’t’ve been so preoccupied with my beads. Instead of being honest with me, and letting me see her fear, the way you let me see yours—the way that you were honest with me about your own fears—she put on a happy face and pretended everything was alright,” he said.

“Kyō . . .” she murmured as she caressed his face.

He looked down at her and smiled. “I just thank whatever fate that might exist that I met someone like you,” he said. He looked up at the ceiling and let out a sigh. “You and Shishō . . . are the two greatest things that ever happened in my life.”

There was a pause for a long moment before Kyō mustered the courage to speak again.

“She . . . my mother . . . killed herself.” The words hung there between them as he thought silently, his mind blanking as the memories of his childhood came flooding back.

At his words, she suddenly turned to look at him.

“She killed herself . . . because of me. That’s what they told me. She . . . she didn’t want to . . . be my mother anymore,” he said softly.

Tohru felt tears welling in her eyes as she reached for him and caressed his neck.

He couldn’t look at her. He didn’t want to break down while telling her this. Still, he felt her lean against his chest, her tears wetting him and mingling with the water.

“Kyō . . .” she murmured, her voice quivering, “you’re so precious to me . . . I can’t imagine that anybody . . . .”

He hugged her tightly, the water splashing around them as the abrupt motion disturbed the ambience.

She remained silent, waiting for him to continue at his own pace.

“My mother . . .” he started, “put on a brave face. Pretending to love me—going through the motions of doing everything that a mother is _supposed_ to do for her son, and instead, she chose never to see my. . . the way I looked when I went without the rosary.” He was quiet for a moment, and she felt his arms tighten around her.

“I don’t know . . . maybe . . . she really did love me. Maybe in her own way, she really did care for me. But . . . she wasn’t like you,” he continued. “She could never see the real me and love me. She had to pretend that what I was—my curse—was an illusion. She never even acknowledged the real me, saying that when she saw me, she didn’t see me as cursed. Like she had to compartmentalise parts of me. She ignored the reality of my life—the reality of the situation. That façade she put up . . . when it broke . . . that’s when she killed herself. She could no longer live in a lie. It became too much for her to pretend.”

Tohru simply held on to him.

“The past . . . my past . . . it felt too shameful to tell you about it. I didn’t want to unburden myself to you. Not like this.”

“But I wanted to know you. The good and the bad,” she said. “I want to share your pain,” she said softly.

He let out a sigh.

“There’s more to tell?” she asked.

He nodded. “A lot more.”

“Will you tell me?”

“I will,” he said, “but it’s hard to hear.”

“Tell me,” she said softly as she caressed his face.

He nodded. “Tohru . . . everything wrong with my mother’s life was blamed on me. My father . . . abused my mother. He blamed her for how I turned out. No one ever blamed him, though. They talked about everything she sacrificed for me. How much she had given up for me. They never talked about how hard he’d made her life, too. My father . . . blamed me for the way he treated her. And when she died . . . my dad blamed me for that, too. Ever since I can remember, he’s held me a grudge.”

He swallowed tightly before continuing slowly. “It’s always been that way for the cat. I always knew since I was small that I was different from the other Sohmas, even within my own family. I was born to be the whipping boy for the whole clan. Anything that went wrong for any of the Sohmas . . . it would be my fault. They get to look at me and say, ‘At least my life’s not as bad as his.’ They take out their anger, the problems they’ve had all their lives, all of it on me.”

“Kyō . . .” began Tohru hesitantly. She paused for a moment as he looked down at her curiously.

She tightened her lips for a moment before continuing. “I’m going to tell you something in confidence . . .” she trailed.

Kyō looked down and nodded, waiting for her to go on.

“Kyō . . . I can’t tell you who . . . and I’m sure you know some or most of this already . . . but . . . your story . . . feels very similar to the tragedies that many people have told me already or that I’ve heard second-hand. It seems as though everybody’s trapped or confined in some way. It’s this family,” she finished.

He nodded. “That’s not surprising,” he said as he relaxed against the edge of the bath, tilting his head up once again to look at the ceiling. “As far as they’re concerned, I was born to be a punching bag. The spirits of the zodiac animals have always responded to it—even Kagura when she thought she was in love with me. Though she worked extra hard to fight against it.”

He tilted his face toward Tohru and kissed her softly before continuing. “You were the first and only person who actually saw me and loved me anyway. Not _in spite_ of my fearsome appearance. You accepted my curse in the same way a person accepts that a person has a terminal illness. You don’t love or hate the person based on their illness—you just accept it as a consequence of who they are. You can fight an illness as much as you can, but ignoring it and not facing the reality of a sad situation head-on can be deadly.”

He sighed. “You admitted that you were afraid of me, and that proved that you were looking at me and not shying away, but you took that on as part of me, anyway. Not saying that it wasn’t me or saying that it was me in disguise like my mother used to. That frightening form was my true form and this human body— _that_ was the illusion. And you loved me anyway. You didn’t act like the way I looked didn’t matter—you just took it on as a consequence of who I am as a person.”

Tohru looked up at him tearfully, cupping his face. “It may have been frightening to me,” she said, “but I knew who you were. People are always worried about how the world will see them when they aren’t their best selves—whether that’s how they look or how they act. It can be frightening to let other people see you the way you really are because then if they reject you, they’re rejecting the _real_ you. Your mother . . . rejected the real you and tried to love parts of you that were close enough to who you were to make up for it. But to me, rejecting you . . . was never an option. You were so dear to me.”

“I tried to push you away,” he murmured.

“And you failed. Because when I saw your true form that night, I knew that I cared for you more—much more—than you wanted to push me away. I wasn’t ashamed of you. I could never be ashamed of you.”

He pulled her into a possessive embrace and kissed her before pulling away and letting out a sigh of sweet sadness.

“You’re the only one who saw me that way,” he said. “I was never valued by anybody except for you and Shishō. When my mother killed herself . . . after the funeral, my father and everybody I knew blamed me for her death.”

Kyō hugged Tohru close, resting his chin on her shoulder. “When it became clear that nobody was going to care for me, and that my father was likely to abuse me . . . that’s when Shishō stepped in and offered to care for me. It’s how I came to live with him.”

Tohru wrapped her arms around him, feeling the muscles of his back with her hands. She felt protected.

“I’m glad somebody was looking out for you,” she murmured as she kissed his collar bone. “You deserved more than what you were given in life.”

He smiled. “I already got more than I could’ve hoped for when you loved me,” he said. “I’ve already had more than my share of luck in life. The rest is icing.”

She arose, standing on her own two feet and turned to him as he sat in the water, moving to stand between his legs. Her damp hair cascaded down her shoulders, down her chest and back, and trailing down her breasts as she closed the distance between them again.

He wrapped his arms around her as he looked up into her eyes.

She reached down her hands and caressed his face, tilting his head up gently as she leant down to plant a tender kiss on his lips.

“Kyō . . . you’ll always be in my heart. If there’s ever anything you need—anything I can do or not do—tell me. I’m as responsible for you as you are for me. You took my virginity last night, that’s true, but I also took yours. Your heart,” she said as she placed her hand on his chest, “is as important to me as mine is to you. I’ll never stop fighting for you. I’ll break the curse. I promise you: I’ll find a way.”

He silently held her as he drew her into another kiss.

At last, they left the bath and dried off, wrapping towels around themselves, before heading back into his room.

There were a set of robes on his bed which Tohru eyed curiously before Kyō spoke.

“They’re traditional,” he said. “Shigure must’ve left them here. He’s probably downstairs, waiting for me.”

“Should I help you pack?”

He shook his head. “I’m not supposed to take anything. Everything . . . gets left behind.”

Tohru nodded and sorrowfully helped him dress in the robes he was meant to wear.

Kyō tried to focus on her touch as her hands slid over his body as she dressed him. He felt himself slightly leaning into the feeling of her hands on him. He promised himself that as long as he drew breath, he would never give up hope. He placed his trust in Tohru and her determination—if anyone could end the curse, she could.

He reached out his hand to her, and she took it carefully before he knelt in front of her. “Honda Tohru-san . . . will you marry me when I’m free?” he asked.

Tears touched the corner of her eyes. “I already told you that I would!” she said.

“I know. But that was when we were in bed together. Now that we’re not . . . well, now that we’re more level-headed, I wanted to ask you again in case you’d changed your mind.”

She nodded tearfully and knelt down on the floor to hug him as she wept into his shoulder.

“Of course I’ll marry you! Of course!”

He tilted her head up in the darkening room and kissed her. The moonlight bathed them in a sweet, white sadness as they felt the hour of their parting had come at hand.

“I don’t have a ring for you,” Kyō said. “I just have the rosary.”

“I’ll wear it,” she said. “I’ll wear it as a sign of our engagement.”

He smiled down at her and kissed her again.

She’d removed the rosary when she’d gone with him to bathe. Now, he got up and took it. He looked down at the beads for a moment before walking back over to her and rejoining her on the floor.

“I’ve worn these juzu beads since I was a child,” he said, looking at the rosary before looking back up to her. “It’s only right that they should belong to you now. My whole life is yours,” he said as he took her left hand and placed it on her wrist. “Wait for me,” he whispered.

She nodded and cupped his cheek, drawing him down for another kiss.

He broke away before the kiss became too heated and looked around at his room. The life he’d been living for the past three years was all around him. He was to take nothing with him—anything he needed would be provided for him there. Every fibre of his being rebelled against leaving behind this life—against leaving _her_ behind. There was a comfort in the knowledge that she would be here, though, living her life. She’d always be there for him, and that fact was like a salve to him. Somewhere, someplace, she would be waiting for him with a hand outstretched to take his.

Tohru clung to Kyō’s arm as they walked down the stairs, side-by-side. She saw a group waiting for them as they reached the main hall: Shigure was there along with Yuki and . . . Shishō.

She looked up at Kyō to catch his reaction, but there was none. He was looking ahead, stone-faced, though she could feel through his wrist that his pulse had skyrocketed. As much as Kyō tried to hide it, there was something childlike in his gaze as regarded Kazuma-san. He was a frightened little boy again, she thought to herself, and she knew that at that moment, he wanted nothing more than ask his adoptive father to help him.

Tohru looked around carefully—there seemed to be no trace of Akito. Yet.

Yuki was giving Kyō a hard look. Tohru almost said something, but there was something intense in Yuki’s regard that had her rethinking whether she ought to say anything at all. All she knew was that Yuki was also holding back. If she had to guess, it almost felt as though Yuki wanted to attack Kyō. And _Shigure_ , too _._ They were both eyeing Kyō, whenever they _did_ look at him, with a kind of contempt. It was an eerie feeling, and Tohru suddenly felt . . . _threatened_.

She gripped Kyō’s arm, tensing as she sensed the animosity. He stopped and looked down at her with a touch of confusion edging its way into his regard. He followed her gaze and saw the way the others were eyeing him and put two and two together.

“It’s fine,” he murmured comfortingly as he covered her hand with his. “Don’t worry about it.”

Tohru nodded carefully, still clearly holding back some reservations but walked forward anyway.

“So there’s my son,” Kazuma said. He was smiling reservedly but in a manner which clearly conveyed his pride. “You’ve graduated today,” he said.

Kyō said nothing for a moment, trying to keep his face schooled into a show of force and quiet strength, but praise from his father—and the clear joy he seemed to be taking in his son’s accomplishment—broke Kyō. His naturally bright smile broke forth, shining like the sun to Tohru’s fancied sight, as the bittersweetness of the moment touched the three of them.

Tohru stilled and looked over as she noticed the change in demeanour in the other Sohma’s there. Suddenly, Yuki seemed to be smiling good-naturedly. She didn’t know why but it seemed almost as if seeing Kyō happy had done something to their natures.

Tohru turned her head when she noticed someone behind her and smiled to Haru as he walked toward them from the dining area.

“Sorry to be late,” he said. “I was hanging around outside with Momiji. It didn’t seem right to send you off without saying goodbye, but we also didn’t wanna crowd you.” He gave a sort of half-smirk as he looked at Kyō good-naturedly. “So Kyō,” said Haru quietly in his deep, slow voice as he came up to meet them, “is it true what Shigure said, and that you and Tohru-chan are married?”

Tohru and Kyō instantly blushed.

“Oh!” started Tohru, “N-no! We’re not married; we’re just engaged.”

Yuki raised his eyebrows, a tad surprised. “Oh really . . . you’re . . . engaged?” he asked. With each word, Yuki seemed to be getting more and more confused and slightly disturbed. “When . . . did this happen?” he asked.

Haru merely seemed to be looking on the two of them with a reserved-happiness which came as a contrast to what Yuki seemed to be experiencing.

“K-Kyō asked me earlier this afternoon and then again this evening,” said Tohru a tad nervously, “and I said yes both times.” She wasn’t sure how to read Yuki’s reaction.

There was a beat of silence in the hall. Suddenly, Yuki slammed the side of his fist against the wall. “Damn it, Kyō!” he started. “You bastard . . . just what in the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

“Yuki!” Tohru started forward, “Kyō wa-”

Yuki’s voice was quiet though stern as he turned to her. “Stay out of this!” he said in a low voice before turning his gaze back to Kyō. “Am I right in thinking that you didn’t tell Akito about this? That you don’t have his permission?!”

Kyō nodded slightly.

“What do you think you’re doing? Don’t you realise what Akito could do to her if he found out that the _cat_ of the zodiac had a fiancée?!”

“We weren’t exactly intending on broadcasting it,” Kyō said tersely.

“It doesn’t matter!” Yuki returned. “Either you were lying to Tohru, or you’ve gone insane because you can’t realistically expect that Akito would allow the engagement to stand! You don’t have a chance of marrying her! You have no future, and there isn’t one person standing here who doesn’t know it! If you think you _do_ have a future with _her_ or with _anybody_ , then you’re lying to yourself!”

“It’s not in Akito’s hands!” Kyō replied.

“How can it not be?! If you don’t give it up—if you don’t break off the engagement—Akito will break it off _for you_.” Suddenly, Yuki looked terrified as he gazed at Tohru as if imagining all the awful things that might befall her.

“That’s the cat’s curse, Kyō,” Yuki continued, looking from Tohru to the ground. “You don’t _get_ to be happy. Not ever. It’s a terrible fate, but you have to accept that as your reality. There’s no way to break the curse, and as long as the curse exists, the two of you won’t even have the right to lay _eyes_ on each other let alone get _married._ ”

Tohru chose that moment to step forward, almost positioning herself between Kyō and Yuki. “That’s part of the reason why I intend to break the curse,” she said assertively. “I love Kyō! I accepted his proposal because I believe that there _is_ a future out there somewhere for the both of us. There’s a future out there for you too, Yuki, with Kuragi-san. All of the Sohma’s I’ve met have futures ahead of them. I promised Kyō that I would break the curse—that I would set him free! That I would set _all of you_ free!” She stepped forward to look Yuki in his eyes. “I promise you that, too,” she said adamantly as she took his hands, imploring him like a little sister.

Yuki looked at her wordlessly, shocked into silence by her defiance.

“I will break the curse—for all of you,” she said quietly. Her insistence and determination shone through her promise. To everyone in the room, it came across as an unbreakable vow.

There was a pregnant silence when no one said anything. Yuki seemed on the brink of responding when suddenly he pre-emptively cut off by a voice behind Tohru.

“It’s not nice to make such adamant promises like that in vain.”

Everyone turned in surprise and shock as they saw Akito coming in from around the corner of the dining room.

“Well?” he said. “Isn’t anybody going to welcome me?”


End file.
